The gars are relics of a large group of primitive fishes and are often referred to as living fossils. They can be distinguished from other fishes by the tough, interlocking rhombic, or diamond-shaped scales that cover the body. Two species, longnose and shortnose gars, are found in Iowa waters. Years ago the gigantic alligator gar ascended the Mississippi River at least to Quincy, Illinois, and may well have entered Iowa. It is doubtful if this species ranges so far north today.

These fierce predators are among our most vicious fishes, and will attack nearly any fish in their path. They are long, slender, graceful fishes that bask in the sun near the surface of the water where, motionless, they await their prey.

The snout of the gar is a long, extended, beaklike structure, closely rimmed with sharply-pointed teeth. The beak of the longnose gar is considerably longer and more slender than that of the other species.

The swim bladder of the gar is connected to the esophagus and is abundantly supplied with blood vessels and serves as an auxiliary breathing organ. Fish surface periodically to exchange the air in the swim bladder. This allows gars to survive periods when dissolved oxygen is low or even absent. The eggs of both shortnose and longnose gar are reported to be toxic to warm-blooded vertebrates.

Whether or not the gars are subject to cyclic variations is not known, but their population density seems to fluctuate in both lakes and streams of this state. They are considered nuisance fish by fishermen, especially in lakes. Gars afford little pleasure to anglers because they are difficult to catch and have little or no commercial food-fish value.

Provided their reproductive activities are successful, they are almost certain to survive for many eons, since their tough bony structure and tenacious personality make them immune to most forms of predation.

*Mayhew, J. (editor). 1987. Iowa Fish and Fishing. Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines, Iowa. 323 pp.