Suzanne Queen, Age 11 or Monroe, La., for her question:

HOW LONG DOES A GAR GROW?

A gar is a  greedy fresh water fish of eastern North America. Gars have long, slender bodies with scales as hare as flint. They also have beaks armed with large sharp teeth.

The longnose gar, or billfish, has extremely long and slender jaws. It grows to be about five feet long.

The shortnose gar is two to three feet long.

The heavy set alligator gar is the largest gar. It may grow to be 10 feet long. This is the largest fresh water fish of North America. Its flesh can be used for food, but is not commonly eaten.

Gars usually live in lakes and large rivers. They are found in streams along the Atlantic Coast from Canada to Florida and From Florida to Louisiana along the gulf of Mexico.

Gars also live in the waters of the Mississippi Valley, the Great Lakes and in Cuba and Nicaragua.

The name gar is also applied to the marine needlefishes. They look like true gars but they have soft scales.