#lepisosteiformes

[herpsandbirds]

Spotted Gar (Lepisosteus oculatus), family Lepisosteidae, order Lepisosteiformes, Florida, USA

photograph by Phil's1stPix

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Actinopterygii - Lepisosteiformes

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Order: Lepisosteiformes

Common Name: “gar”

Families: 1 - Lepisosteidae

Anatomy: elongated bodies; heavily armored with ganoid scales; elongated jaws filled with long, sharp teeth; dorsal fins are close to the tail; vascularised swim bladders can function as lungs

Diet: smaller fish and invertebrates

Habitat/Range: much of the eastern portion of North America; found primarily in shallow, weedy, freshwater habitats, though some species can enter brackish water and a few are sometimes found in the sea

Evolved in: Lepisosteiformes in the Early Jurassic, the family Lepisosteidae in the Late Jurassic

Do you have a favorite in Lepisosteiformes?

One or more of my favorite animals is in Lepisosteiformes

I love at least one or more of these animals

I like at least one or more of these animals

I am neutral about all of these animals

I dislike all of these animals

Voting ended onJun 19, 2025

Propaganda under the cut:

While represented only by the two living genera of gar from North America, the Lepisosteiformes are an ancient group known as far back as the Early Jurassic, and formerly had a much larger range, being known from almost every continent.

The Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula) (image 1) is the largest living species of gar, often growing to a length over 2 m (6.5 ft) and a weight over 45 kg (100 lb), and specimens of up to 3 m (9.8 ft) in length have been reported.

The critically endangered Cuban Gar (Atractosteus tristoechus) (image 2) is known for sometimes traveling through brackish water into the ocean.

During the dry season, the Florida Gar (Lepisosteus platyrhincus) (image 3) can burrow into mud and aestivate (similar to hibernation) through the dry season.

Gar eggs contain an ichthyotoxin, a type of protein toxin which is highly toxic to humans. While Bluegills and Catfish feed on gar eggs, it is poisonous to humans (and crayfish and birds). Gar saw what we were doing to the sturgeons and said “couldn’t be me.” (Though some are still endangered due to habitat loss, overfishing of their prey, and trophy fishing)

[saritawolf]

Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus) - (c) SaritaWolf - please do not repost

[life-on-our-planet]

🐟◉spotted gar◉🐟

[fish-facing-forward]

Lepisosteus oculatus

Spotted Gar

Image source

Status: Least concern

Distribution: The freshwater habitats of south eastern North America

[snototter]

A longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) surfaces the Thames in Ontario, Canada

by G. Sito

[taxonomytournament]

Taxonomy Tournament: Fish

Lepisosteiformes. This order is made up of the gar, a relatively large and elongated fish whose swim bladder can funciton as lungs.

Amiiformes. This order is made up of the bowfins, also known as mudfish, ambush predators that are cabale of breathing air as well as water.

Which clade of animals is better?

Lepisosteiformes

Amiiformes

Show results

Voting ended onFeb 15, 2024

[ognimdo2002]

Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula) – Crocodilian Fish

The alligator gar is a euryhaline ray-finned fish in the clade Ginglymodi of the infraclass Holostei, being most closely related to the bowfins. It is the largest species in the gar family, and is among the largest freshwater fish in North America.

Leucistic

Melanistic

Saging saging 🍌, mangga mangga 🥭, papaya papaya 🍐