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The gars, or garpikes, are members of the Lepisosteiformes (or Semionotiformes), an ancient order of "primitive" ray-finned fish. Fossil gars are found in Europe, South America, and North America, indicating that in times past these fish had a wider distribution than they do today. Gars are considered to be a remnant of a group of rather primitive bony fish that flourished in the Mesozoic, and are most closely related to the bowfin, another archaic fish now found only in North America.

Garpikes Fish

The gars, or garpikes, are members of the Lepisosteiformes (or Semionotiformes), an ancient order of…

The spotted Gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) is a primitive freshwater fish of the family Lepisosteidae, native to North America from the Lake Erie and southern Lake Michigan drainages south through the Mississippi River basin to Gulf Slope drainages, from lower Apalachicola River in Florida to Nueces River in Texas, USA. It has a profusion of dark spots on the body, head and fins. It occurs in quiet, clear pools and backwaters of lowland creeks, small to large rivers, oxbow lakes, swamps and sloughs. It occasionally enters brackish waters. The fish is a voracious predator feeding on various kinds of fishes and crustaceans. They are notable for being one of the few extant fish species with ganoid scales.

Garpikes Fish

The spotted Gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) is a primitive freshwater fish of the family Lepisosteidae, native…

The Shortnose Gar (Lepisosteus platostomus) is a fish in the Lepisosteidae family of garpikes.

Shortnose Gar

The Shortnose Gar (Lepisosteus platostomus) is a fish in the Lepisosteidae family of garpikes.