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ORDER SEMIONOTIFORMES
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Primitive, ray-finned, primarily freshwater fish
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Fish of this order retain the rhombic ganoid scales of the earliest bony fishes
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Body does not extend along the full length of the upper lobe of the tail
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Gars

Characteristics of Gars
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Elongated, beak-like jaws
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Interlocking, rhombic, ganoid scales, with a dense, shiny enamel-like surface
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Can grow up to 8 feet long and weigh more than 300 pounds
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Coloration is generally brown or olive above and lighter underneath
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Longnose Gar

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Can be easily distinguished from other lepisosteids by the length of its snout, which is
significantly longer than all extant congeners
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More common in freshwater, but have been caught in salinities up to 31 ppt
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They can utilize areas of low or high water flow and can often be located around structure
such as vegetation, stone outcrops, or downed trees
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Hatching occurs 7-9
days after spawning, and the newly hatched larvae are 8
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0 mm
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Growth slows significantly after maturity, which generally occurs at 6-7 years and 2-3 years of age
for females and males, respectively
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Females are larger than males at each age except for the first year of life
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Longnose gar were found to be sexually dimorphic, with females attaining larger weights, pelvic
girths, anal girths, anal fin lengths, and total lengths
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In Missouri, during an assessment of a spawning population, it was found
that the males outnumbered the females to a ratio of 1
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This uneven sex ratio might be the
result of males maturing at least four years earlier than females
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Throughout the range of longnose gar (e
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Alabama, New York, Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma, Wisconsin), spawning has been found to occur
between late April and early July
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The typical ratio of fish on the spawning ground was one female to five males
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Finally, a rapid, violent quivering occurred as the eggs and sperm were released
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Eggs range from 2
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2
mm in width and are greenish to slate gray in color with an adhesive coating for sticking to the
substrate
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Dorsal fin with 46-50 soft rays
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Pectoral fin rays 16-18
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Adult males have a circular black spot surrounded by a pale orange halo at the upper caudal
fin base (shared by juveniles, but typically absent in adult females) and the median fins
develop a spectacular blue-green color
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The Bowfin fish

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The only living representative of an ancient family of fishes
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Has a long, stout body; big mouth with small, sharp teeth; long dorsal and rounded fin tail
with semiheterocercal scales and the body is encased with cycloid scales
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Have kidney tubules opening directly into the coelomic cavity in contrast to other freshwater
rayfin fish which have their kidneys closed off from the body cavity
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The spot is absent or inconspicuous on females
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Live in warm, poorly oxygenated waters
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Adult bowfins usually live in deep water, coming into shallows at night and during the
breeding season
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When compared to other fish, the Bowfin’s actions are sluggish, but with its size and feeding
habits, it may strike an angler’s artificial lure or live bait
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8 kg) and, live
approximately 12 years
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The
longest bowfin caught measured 34
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8 oz
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8 kg)
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Reproduction
Mating occurs between April and June in weedy shallow waters
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The males arrive to the site first and construct nests in the
form of a circular mat measuring 15-36 inches (39-91 cm) in diameter
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The female with lie on the nest while the male positions himself at her side and eggs are
laid
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After 8 to 10 days the eggs hatch
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5 inches (12 mm)
long
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If one become separated from the parent, it swims
in close circles until its parent reappears
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They larvae feed on plankton and grow rapidly
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Young bowfins grow to over 8
inches (203 mm) in length during their first year of life

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