Shortnose Gar Identification Guide

Key identification features

• Cylindrical, elongated body encased in hard diamond-shaped ganoid scales
• Notably short, broad snout — the shortest of the North American gars, roughly half as long as it is wide
• Olive to brown back fading to a white or yellowish belly
• Dark spots concentrated on the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins and the rear of the body, with the top of the head usually left plain
• Single dorsal fin set far back near the tail
• Grows to roughly 2-3 feet

Common look-alikes

• Spotted gar: longer snout with dark spots scattered across the entire head and body, including the top of the skull
• Longnose gar: snout is much longer and narrower, more than twice the length of the head
• Alligator gar: far broader snout with two rows of upper teeth and a much larger overall size

Where you'll see one

Shortnose gar inhabit turbid, sluggish rivers, backwaters, and reservoirs across the Mississippi River basin and central US plains states. They tolerate murky, low-oxygen water by periodically gulping air at the surface, a trait shared with all gar species.