The Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus), also called Gar-Pike, was described in 1758 by renowned zoologist and creator of binomial nomenclature, Carl Linneaus. Lepisosteus means "bone scaled," and osseus translates to "bony," both parts referring to their armor-like scaled bodies. Their scales are so hard that some Native American tribes would utilize them in making shields and personal body armor. If you're thinking to yourself that these fish look prehistoric, then you would be right. Longnose Gar have been around for roughly 100 million years! Only other Gar resemble the Longnose, but they are characterized by their long, slender snout that is twice the length of their head. Their average length is around 3 or 4 feet but they can reach nearly 6.5 feet!
Juvenile Longnose Gar from the Upper Des Plaines River, IL. Photo credit: Paul DeRolf
These fish can occupy a wide range of aquatic systems and habitats but prefer areas of clear, slow water with heavy vegetation. Longnose can reside in floodplain lakes or oxbows where they had become isolated as floodwaters receded. Slightly brackish waters along the coastlines within their range can also serve as habitat. When water temps are lower, you can often find large congregations of Longnose Gar basking in the sun near the surface. Thanks to some evolutionary traits, these fish have a highly vascularized swim bladder that acts as a lung and allows them to breathe air in low-oxygen waters.
Spawning occurs around May and June, depending on where you are and the local water temps. Within the central portion of their range, the spawn starts with the late spring/early summer flood events which allow them to reach more suitable habitat like isolated lakes or vegetation surrounding water bodies. Adult Longnose will gather over submerged vegetation or rocky areas where the large, fertilized eggs adhere to the grass or substrate to develop. Once hatched, the young utilize those floodplain lakes, oxbows, and heavily vegetated areas as nursery grounds before eventually returning to the main waterbody. Fair warning, the eggs are poisonous and highly toxic, so it's best to avoid eating them!
Adult Longnose Gar from a USGS Survey in southern IN. Photo credit: Caleb Artz
The primary forage is small fishes like Minnows or Shiners, Madtom Catfish, and juvenile Bluegill or Bass. Longnose Gar will also eat crustaceans, aquatic insects, and even small animals (ducklings) that float on the surface. Our primitive-fish friends are ambush predators with high success rates. Most of their feeding occurs during low-light hours when the prey cannot see them. They lie in wait within vegetation or near cover until a fish swims by and utilize their long snout to snatch them up.
Longnose Gar are an apex predator, sitting at the top of the food chain in almost any system. This position earned them the label of "destructive" in the early-1900s because people thought this species and their cousins "decimate the sportfish populations." Agencies and the public began ridding waterbodies of Gar by any means necessary, often leaving the fish to rot onshore, treating them as "trash fish." Thanks to research efforts, we understand that Gar don't do much damage, if any, to Bass or Bluegill populations. Yet, we still see large quantities of Longnose Gar removed coupled with little to no change in state regulations to limit the harvest. Gar are a vital part of the aquatic ecosystem, and if we continue allowing unregulated harvest, then it could potentially ruin your local fisheries. Thankfully, we are seeing a growing population of anglers, along with researchers like Dr. Solomon David and GarLab at Nicholls State in Louisiana, leading the good fight for Gar and other primitive fishes.
Range distribution map for Longnose Gar. Credit to Roughfish.
The range for Longnose Gar spans far and wide from Quebec City, Quebec down to southeastern Mexico, and as far west as central New Mexico. This interactive map from FishMap shows what watersheds they currently occupy and historical locations within the United States. Overall, they are a species of "least concern" but are considered state threatened for Delaware, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota. Modifications to rivers like dams and increased sediment load serve as hindrances to this species by preventing upstream movement and reducing visibility for foraging.
The best way to observe these ancient fish is to grab some tackle, cut bait, and wet a line at night. They put up one of the best fights possible for freshwater fish. One could also search for them during the summer when they are sunbathing or cruising the surface taking gulps of air. Just remember, no matter how you decide to see them, make sure to enjoy, protect, and enhance our freshwater habitats!
Comments