Meet Our Resident
The Spotted Gar is sleek and prehistoric-looking, with an elongated snout and armor-like scales that shimmer under the exhibit lights. At Burpee, this species often glides slowly through the Ancient Waterways tank alongside the sturgeon—two evolutionary survivors sharing a lineage that predates most modern fish.

Connections to the Museum
The Spotted Gar’s lineage connects directly to the fossil gar skulls and Cretaceous fish remains in Burpee’s collections. Visitors can compare the modern gar’s shape and scales to ancient species displayed nearby, understanding how form and function persisted through millions of years of evolution.

Natural History & Behavior
Gars are ambush predators that rely on stealth and speed. They can gulp air from the surface using a specialized swim bladder that functions much like a lung—an ancient adaptation that allowed survival in low-oxygen waters.

Evolutionary Connections
The Lepisosteidae family dates back over 100 million years. Fossils from the Cretaceous period show nearly identical morphology to modern gars, earning them the title “living fossils.” Their ganoid scales, enamel-coated for protection, are a hallmark of early fish evolution.

Wild Habitat & Distribution
Inhabits slow-moving rivers and backwaters across the central and southeastern United States, including the lower Rock and Mississippi Rivers.

Conservation & Status
Listed as Threatened in Illinois due to habitat degradation and pollution. Burpee’s specimen allows visitors to see a species rarely encountered in the wild, reinforcing the value of preserving our state’s waterways and native fish diversity.