Gar << gahr >> is a fierce, hungry fish that lives chiefly in freshwater lakes and large rivers. Some gars inhabit marine waters in and around the mouths of coastal rivers. Gars are found in streams along the Atlantic Coast from Canada to Florida. They also live in the Great Lakes region, throughout the Mississippi River Valley, and as far south as Cuba, Mexico, and Costa Rica.
Gars have long, slender bodies with hard scales. They have beaks armed with large sharp teeth.
The longnose gar, or billfish, has extremely long and slender jaws. It grows to about 5 feet (1.5 meters) long. The shortnose gar is 2 to 3 feet (61 to 91 centimeters) long. The heavy-set alligator gar is the largest gar. It may grow to almost 10 feet (3 meters) long. Historically, only sturgeons had surpassed alligator gars in size in the fresh waters of North America. The flesh of alligator gars can be used for food, but it is not commonly eaten.
The name gar is also commonly applied to the marine needlefishes. They look like true gars but have soft scales.
See also Pike.
