Longnose Gar

I will admit that I have never been much of a fisherman, with the exception of catching a Catfish when I was 5 or 6 at Clifton Park with my mother. The term “catch” being used losely here as according to my mom the catfish was floating near the surface and already approaching death’s door. Seizing the opportunity I scooped him up with my fishing net and claimed all the glory. As a young child I was really interested in any kind of aquatic life, from sharks to tadpoles, newts and water bugs. I would go to lakes and streams with my mom to catch frogs, crawdads and in one instance a fish. I would occassionally go fishing with my great uncle Buster in the lake on his property, and although I do not remember catching anything there, I have fond memories of being out in the lake in his boat. With that confession, the fish portion of this site is going to be compiled of fish native to the region, but are either in captivity or catches that fishermen are willing to let me take pictures of.

I remember learning about this particular family of fish from a Discovery channel series called “River Monsters.” The host, Jeremy Wade, would travel the world’s waterways in search of, well, river monsters – massive and often intimidating fish. In season 1, episode 3, he captured a huge Alligator Gar in Texas, and that is when I took an interest in these fish. Though we do have Alligator Gar in the Mississippi River and other waterways of Missouri, today we will be focusing on a smaller member of the Lepisosteidae family.

Today’s fish is the Lepisosteus osseus, more commonly called the Longnose Gar. Although they are smaller than their more popular cousins, the Alligator Gar, they can still reach lengths of up to 6ft and tip the scales at 55lbs. To top it all off, they look like something out of the prehistoric world – elongated fierce jaws with razor-sharp teeth, armored scales, and ancient-looking eyes that convey they’ve seen it all. And to be fair, as a species, they have seen a whole hell of a lot.

relaxing

The Longnose gar we see today has been found in fossil records from the Pleistocene, dating back somewhere between 300,000 to 1,800,000 years ago. The gar family as a whole is a primitive species of fish and has been swimming around for at least 100 million years. This means that the gar family witnessed the rise and fall of not only the infamous Tyrannosaurus Rex but also countless other species that have come and gone while they prospered.

To drive home how amazing their adaptability is, think about this: scientists estimate that more than 99% of all species that have ever lived are extinct. Species usually get a drop in the bucket of around 10 million years before joining the more than 5 billion species that have left existence for good. So, with all those unimaginably large numbers and facts in your head, and the existential crisis we are both having at this moment, let’s just take a minute to really appreciate this Longnose gar enjoying it’s time in the spotlight.

I HAVE SEEN IT ALL…

The Longnose gar is known as a living fossil. This means that there have been few morphological changes since the Gar family first came about. They held on to some pretty nifty adaptations, such as the ability to breathe both air and water. They have a swim bladder that is packed full of blood vessels, helping to absorb oxygen and aiding the gills in breathing. The swim bladder is found in bony fish and helps in breathing, buoyancy, and sound production and reception.

They also sport a suit of glassy ancient armor known as ganoid scales. These scales are covered in hard enamel and are diamond-shaped (rhomboidal), fitting together neatly instead of overlapping each other. This gives the Longnose gar an almost impenetrable suit of armor, making it difficult for predators to make a meal of them. The scales are made of such rugged material that Native Americans would sometimes fashion them into arrowheads.

Longnose gar can be found throughout the eastern half of the United States as well as Central America and inhabit freshwater lakes, swamps, streams, and even brackish water. Within these waters, they are apex predators, with massive bodies and a mouth filled with teeth that are 3 times longer than their head – I think that makes a lot of sense. Adult Longnose gar have few predators, mainly humans, alligators, and bigger members of their own species to worry about.

In Missouri, Longnose gar mainly eat fish and have been considered a potential candidate for the fight against the invasive Asian Carp. They prefer to swim in schools and hang near the surface of the water, keeping a focus on smaller prey that may swim beneath them. Although they spend most of their time lazily floating around, they can be extremely fast, ensnaring prey in their long snouts before swallowing their catch whole. Young Longnose gar have a different approach to hunting, often hiding among vegetation and ambushing their prey.

The Longnose gar is a relatively long-lived fish with a lifespan of about 20 years, although some specimens have been found almost twice that age. The males become sexually mature at about 2 years of age, whereas the females mature around 6 years. Between spring and mid-summer, females will lay clutches of up to 30,000 eggs. The eggs are laid in vegetation or rocky bottoms and have a toxic adhesive property that helps them stay in place. The eggs will hatch in about 8 days, and the 8-10mm long young will seek shelter, preferably vegetation for the first year of their life.

Swimming

Although Longnose gar can be eaten and were a staple of natives and early settlers, they are not typically consumed. As of now, the Longnose gar is not endangered, nor even threatened, which is great. However, since they do not reach sexual maturity for a number of years, they run the risk of populations being reduced dramatically if overfished. As with all things in nature, they are also at the mercy of humans, and several states have seen populations of this living fossil dwindle due to pollution. Thankfully, here in Missouri, their population numbers are healthy, and we can potentially enjoy getting up close and personal with one while fishing or visiting Powder Valley, where these fish were photographed. These relics of the past are fascinating to look at, and I had a blast studying them. I have seen large specimens in aquariums, and with their almost reptilian-like appearance, it is not hard to imagine one gazing up at a thirsty Triceratops from just below the water’s surface. I can’t help but wonder if we too will be just another passing blurry image on the other side of the water to a prehistoric fish who has quite literally seen it all.