J.W. tells the TMN group about some of the inhabitants of the Red River including this gar.
Gar, members of the Lepisosteidae family, are easily distinguished from other freshwater species by long, slender, cylindrical bodies, their long snouts, and by the fact that they are equipped with diamond shaped interlocking (ganoid) scales. Additionally, the dorsal and anal fins are placed well back on the body, and nearly opposite each other. The tail fin is rounded. Alligator gar may be distinguished from other gars by the presence of two rows of large teeth on either side of the upper jaw in large young and adults. Coloration is generally brown or olive above, and lighter underneath. Lepisosteus is Greek, meaning “bony scale”, and spatula is Latin for “spoon”, referring to the creatures broad snout.