The shortnosed gar is found in Mississippi River basin from south central Ohio, northern Indiana and Wisconsin to Montana and south to Alabama and Louisiana (Page and Burr, 1991). The species is also found in Lake Michigan drainage in Wisconsin. Shortnose gar presumably dispersed into Wisconsin from the Mississippi river via the Wisconsin and Fox rivers (Priegel, 1963).

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )

endemic to a single nation

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: Mostly in low gradient portion of Mississippi River basin, Louisiana to Montana, Wisconsin, and Ohio; Lake Michigan drainage, Wisconsin; Calcasieu and Mermentau rivers on Louisiana Gulf Coast; common (Page and Burr 1991).

Gar species in North America are easily recognized by their long snouts, sharply toothed jaws, non-overlapping and diamond shaped ganoid scales, and posterior placement of dorsal and anal fins on the body. Specifically, the shortnose gar is characterized by a short (relative to other gars), broad snout. The upper jaw is longer then the rest of the head and contains only one row of teeth. The shortnose gar has olive or brown coloration with white on the ventral side and black spots on median fins. Paired fins usually lack spots (spots found only on individuals living in clear water). Juveniles have fairly broad dark brown stripes along back and side.

Range length: 83 (high) cm.

Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; bilateral symmetry

Average mass: 1430 g.

Length: 80 cm

Habitat of the shortnosed gar includes lakes, swamps, and the calm pools and backwaters of creeks and rivers. They are commonly found near vegetation and submerged logs.

Habitat Regions: temperate

Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; rivers and streams

Wetlands: swamp

Habitat Type: Freshwater

Comments: Open slow silty or clear-water rivers, wave-washed shoals of large lakes, quiet creek pools and river backwaters. Usually at water surface, often near vegetation and submerged logs. Larvae attach to vegetation or debris. Spawns in shallow grassy sloughs (Becker 1983).

Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Young of the year gars consume a variety of food items, ranging from tiny crustaceans to different life stages of insects and fish. The diet of young gars suggests that most feeding is surface oriented. Adult and young of the year gars feed more actively at night than during the day (Echelle and Riggs, 1972).

Hunting activity of gars can be described as stalking rather than active pursuit. Gars are typically opportunist, consuming the most available food. Shortnose gar consume more invertebrates than any other species of gar (Vokoun, 2000).

Gars are efficient ambush predators (Moyle and Cech, 1988). With its long jaws, gars lie in ambush and catch fish with a sideways strike (Bone, 1999).

Animal Foods: fish; insects; zooplankton

Primary Diet: carnivore (Piscivore , Insectivore , Eats non-insect arthropods)

Comments: Feeds mostly in morning on crayfish and fishes (Becker 1983). Young start feeding on crustaceans and mosquito larvae at 16 days after hatching (Becker 1983). Also feeds on emerging insects.

The shortnose gar are predators that can occupy the role of a scavenger, but often competes for food with common gamefishes like the northern pike, walleyes, and bass. However, they often thrive in waters not suitable for game fishes (Eddy, 1974).

Due to gars bony composition and tough, interlocking ganiod scales, gars are nearly impervious to any forms of predation. Adult gars have no known predators except humans.

Known Predators:

• humans (Homo sapiens)

Adults move in large schools before and after spawning (Becker 1983).

Shortnose gars may be smaller than 9-10 mm long when they hatch. Although capable of swimming, they use an adhesive structure to hang vertically by their snout from objects in the water, and they will commonly attach to surface film. After exhausting the yolk sac, the fry become more active and assume a horizontal attitude. The fry usually remain near area of egg deposition (Echelle and Riggs, 1972).

Average lifespan

Status: captivity: 20.0 years.

Gars begin to spawn in early to mid April until the end of May (Eschelle and Burr, 1972). Shortnose gars spawn in shallow water among the grass and aquatic weeds and prefer grassy sloughs as spawning grounds. Their eggs are large, green, and poisonous to warm-blooded vertebrates, including humans (Eddy, 1974).

Breeding season: early to mid April until the end of May

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; sexual ; fertilization (External ); oviparous

Shortnose gar do not care for their young.

Parental Investment: no parental involvement

Spawns in late spring or early summer. Eggs become attached to vegetation, hatch in 8-9 days. Sexually mature in 3 years.

Since shortnose gar and other gar species compete with popular gamefishes, they are regarded as a nuisance to many sport fishermen. There are some gar fishing enthusiasts, but their popularity as a sport fish is low. Their perceived lack of value has prompted many actions to eliminate them from some aquatic areas. A related species, the alligator gar Atractosteus spatula, is under intense pressure in some parts of the southern United States (Eddy, 1974).

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Fishermen have an aversion to the shortnose gar because of their competitive predatory habits and lack of value as a sport fish. Often fishermen attempt to capture them for purposes of removal. Fortunately for the shortnose gar, their slender shape and behavior make them difficult to capture in siene nets (Eddy, 1974).