Animal Research Paper: Long-nosed Gar and Mudpuppy The Long-nosed Gar and Mudpuppy are both native species that can be found in Ohio. The Gar gets its name from its long nose that looks a lot like a bird's beak. Pike in the laboratory is brownish-gray with black spots, but in the wild it has a range of colors. Their dimensions are also often very large. Some longnose pike can grow up to 6 feet, but it is common for them to be between 3 and 4 feet long (thickets). The pike in this laboratory is about thirty centimeters long, therefore smaller than the wild ones. The other animal in the tank is the mud puppy. Mudpuppies are common throughout the northeastern United States. They are also called water dogs because they are the only salamanders that make noise (National Geographic: Mudpuppy). They remain mainly at the bottom of lakes and in bodies of water where they feed. Both mudpuppy and longnose gar are common. Longnose pike are found throughout the eastern United States and grow to be quite a large fish. Their scientific name is Lepisosteus osseus and they are members of the pike (Groves) family. Gars have been around for a very long time, some even say since prehistoric times. However, even though they have been around for a long time, little research has been done on them because they are considered pests by many anglers. According to the Chesapeake Bay Program, this is because “most anglers consider pike a nuisance because they damage fishing gear and eat more valuable fish species” (Chesapeake Bay Program, 2012). The common length of the longnose gar is about three to four feet. They can get much larger depending on where they are found in the United States. According to the Maryland Depart... center of paper... close at hand then lunges and bangs their heads from side to side prompting them to prey with their long, sharp teeth. Then they maneuver the prey to swallow it upside down” (Goddard). They like to attack their prey by surprise and usually attack from the side. Once the longnose pike has caught the prey in its mouth, it must take it so that it is parallel to its nose so it can swallow it. Spawning of longnose pike depends on where the pike is located. Reproduction typically occurs during the spring or summer months and everything depends on the water temperature. The female pike will swim into a small, fast-moving stream and lay eggs (Goddard). Longnose pike eggs are not just ordinary eggs that most people think of when they think of fish eggs. Their eggs are green and sticky so they can stick to plants in the fast flow (