- Where to see one
- 3 U.S. zoos in our directory hold longnose gar, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the longnose gar
The longnose gar is a ray-finned freshwater fish of the family Lepisosteidae, found along the east coasts of North and Central America and as far west as Kansas, Texas and southern New Mexico. It has an olive-brown to green, torpedo-shaped body armoured with ganoid scales and a needle-like snout nearly three times the length of its head, lined with sharp, cone-shaped teeth. It lives in lakes, swamps, sluggish backwaters and brackish coastal water, and can breathe both air and water, so it tolerates low-oxygen conditions. It feeds mostly at night, chiefly on small fish, and typically lives 15 to 20 years.
Longnose Gar facts
- Its highly vascularized swim bladder works like a lung, supplementing the gills for breathing air.
- Females lay clutches of close to 30,000 eggs, which have a toxic, adhesive coating.
- The longest reported age is 39 years.
- Along coasts it moves toward higher-salinity water in the afternoon and evening to hunt menhaden.
Where to see longnose gar in the U.S.
3 zoos across 3 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 3 zoos holding longnose gar by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
