Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus)

Longnose Gar are a mid-sized native gar species that can be found in Lake Ontario and Cootes Paradise. With a long, thin snout full of sharp teeth, these fish are excellent predators that feed primarily on fish but will eat anything else they can catch. They are generally nocturnal, ambushing unsuspecting prey during the night. All gar species have two layers of interlocking scales, making them incredibly tough and difficult to catch for all but the most determined of predators. Additionally, gar are able to breathe air by taking gulps at the surface, enabling them to survive in oxygen-poor water. Longnose Gar spend most of their time in shallow, slow-moving water. However, adults travel upstream into clean, fast-moving water to reproduce. Once the eggs hatch, young gar feed on small crustaceans and insects before they grow large enough to eat other fish. As they develop into juveniles, Longnose Gar head to the shallow, slow waters they will live in as adults and shelter in dead branches and weeds.

Gar are an incredibly old taxonomic group, with some gar fossils being as old as 100 million years, meaning gar were swimming in the shallow waters of the Cretaceous period. Longnose Gar are not commonly seen, as they are well-camouflaged and often live in murky waters. However, there are no known major threats to the longnose gar population. As with any native species, however, they can be affected by habitat loss and invasive species. For example, the Common Carp is an invasive fish species that has cause significant ecological damage to Cootes Paradise. The Royal Botanical Gardens have been engaging in conservation efforts to control the carp population and restore Cootes Paradise, but it is still at risk of degradation. Longnose Gar and many of Ontario’s other native fish species need healthy wetlands like Cootes Paradise to live and reproduce in, making wetland conservation crucial to protecting these important species.

References:

Bowen, K., & Theysmeyer, T. (1998). The Cootes Paradise Fishway. rbg.ca. https://www.rbg.ca/app/uploads/Fishway-Factsheet-1998.pdf?x87889