Spotted gar
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| Lepisosteus oculatus | ||||||||||||||
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 Spotted gar, Lepisosteus oculatus
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| Lepisosteus oculatus |
The spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) is a primitive freshwater fish of the family Lepisosteidae, native to North America from the Lake Erie and southern Lake Michigan drainages south through the Mississippi River basin to Gulf Slope drainages, from lower Apalachicola River in Florida to Nueces River in Texas, USA. It has a profusion of dark spots on the body, head and fins. It occurs in quiet, clear pools and backwaters of lowland creeks, small to large rivers, oxbow lakes, swamps and sloughs. It occasionally enters brackish waters. The fish is a voracious predator feeding on various kinds of fishes and crustaceans. They are notable for being one of the few extant fish species with ganoid scales.
They are very peristent fish along with other fish in the family Lepisosteidae. They have been known to hybridize with Florida gars, which is why they look similar to Florida gars.
