Overview  News  Technology  Conditions of Use  Privacy Policy  Partners & Contributors  Awards & Recognition  ADW Staff  Contact Us  Spinning Skulls  About Mammals  Frog Calls  Resources for College Instructors  Resources for K-12 Instructors  Contribute to ADW  What's in a Scientific Name?  Authority Lists: Where We Get Our Names  Name, Rank, and Serial Number  Organismal classification: evolutionary relationships & ranks  Glossary  Search Guide  Related Links  Contact Us  Report an Error

Structured Inquiry Search — preview

Home Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Subphylum Vertebrata Class Actinopterygii Order Semionotiformes Family Lepisosteidae

• Information
• Pictures
• Classification

2009/11/22 03:20:33.233 US/Eastern

By Tanya Dewey

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Vertebrata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Semionotiformes

Family: Lepisosteidae

Members of this Family

The gar family is made up of 7 species found in eastern North America and Central America, from Quebec to Costa Rica. They are also found on Cuba. They are long, tubular-shaped fish with very long jaws armed with needle sharp teeth. They are usually found in shallow, weedy areas. They do well in water that is low in oxygen content because they can gulp atmospheric air into their vascularized swim bladders. They can get very large, up to 3 meters in the alligator gar of the southeastern United States. Gars are slow-moving fish but are also voracious predators, grabbing fish and crustaceans in their sharp teeth.

For More Information

Find

• BioKIDS: Kids' Inquiry of Diverse Species

Contributors

Tanya Dewey (author), Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.

2009/11/22 03:20:33.338 US/Eastern

To cite this page: Dewey, T. 2006. "Lepisosteidae" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed November 23, 2009 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Lepisosteidae.html.

Disclaimer: The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control.

Other formats: OWL

Sponsored in part by the Interagency Education Research Initiative,
the Homeland Foundation and the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants DUE-0633095 and DRL-0628151.
The ADW Team gratefully acknowledges their support. Report Error — Comment
©1995-2008, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors.
All rights reserved.