Florida gar (Lepisosteus platyrhincus) is found from extreme SE Georgia south through most of Florida. This gar can grow to about 52 inches in length. This gar has been feeding the American alligator for eons. The alligator waits quietly in slow moving water, and when the gar is near by the alligator flicks the tip of its tail, causing the gar to swim to a fatal position near the mouth of the alligator. This long narrow fish would appear to fit perfectly into the alligator. These two lifeforms are common in the Everglades of Florida.

Typical Gars (Genus Lepisosteus) are a group of ancient fishes found only in North America. There are 4 species in this family. The shortnose, longnose, spotted, and Florida gar belong here.

Garpikes are a primitive family of fish that are found from Canada to Central America and in Cuba. They are characterized by having a long bill or beak. There are 7 known species of which 5 are found in North America. The Lepisosteus genus and the Atractosteus genus (Alligator gar and relatives) belong here. The Atractosteus genus has three species with one species in North America, one in Central America, and one in Cuba and adjacent islands.

Garfish and the Bowfin are a primitive group of fish that are only found in the New World. There are probably only nine species in this entire group. This group has been placed close to the true bony fish.

Bony fish, Class Teleostomi, are a class of chordates that include the majority of fish-like animals found on earth. They are characterized by a bony jaw and a bony skeleton. They are found in both fresh and marine waters.

Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.

Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.

Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

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