Gar have a long history in America, where they were the first freshwater fish named in Virginia. Bony armor of diamond shaped scales protects the fish, an d before steel plows were available, plowshares in America were covered with garskin to take advantage of the tough bony scales. Gars drift stealthily along the surface of the water until encountering an unwary fish. They are ambush predators, and make a quick sideward head snap to grab prey, then maneuver it to swallow headfirst. Their simple jaw is adapted for biting, with sha rp conical teeth within their beaklike mouth.
Gars prefer quiet waters and are often found in shallow lakes.
In this type of habitat water may become stagnant. Gar have an unusual adaptation that helps - a vascularized bilobed swim bladder. The bladder is used as an accessory lung during periods o f low dissolved oxygen in addition to providing buoyancy. There is only one species, or kind, of bowfin, Amia calva. It is found in the Mississippi River drainage east to Vermont and south to the Gulf of Mexico.