Spotted Gar are native to the Lake Erie and Lake Michigan drainages and extend south through the Mississippi River Basin to the Gulf Coast, from Texas to Florida. They prefer shallow, slow-moving, or stagnant open waters and are often found surface-basking near underwater structures or along shorebanks. As their name suggests, Spotted Gar have distinct spots on their head, body, and fins. Typical of gars, Spotted Gar possess hard, diamond-shaped ganoid scales. They reach an average length of 30 inches (76 cm), with a maximum length of 44 inches (112 cm). They are ambush predators, and their diet primarily consists of aquatic crustaceans,particularly crayfish,as well as small fish. Sources: Animal Diversity (https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lepisosteus_oculatus/) and US Geological Survey (https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=756)