The longnose gar is a truly amazing fish that you wouldn't expect to find in your local stream unless you are familiar with streams and lakes. This long, narrow fish feeds on other fish and amphibians. It can grow up to four feet long (though other gar may grow to lengths of ten feet).

I captured this longnose gar in Darby Creek in Central Ohio earlier this spring. At that time it was only an inch long. I raised it in my pond; there the gar grew to nearly six inches in a few months by feeding on mosquito larvae.

These are photos of the young gar after I moved him to our aquarium. Within a few days, he devoured dozens of feeder guppies. It hovers slowly with small fluttering fins and an unusual "extra" tail fin--then darts lightning quick for its prey. The gar reminds me of a crocodile when it has a fish in its mouth.

Learn More about the Longnose Gar

• Ohio Department of Natural Resources Gar Info
• Longnose Gar in Focus