Significance To Humans
Gar flesh is edible, and sometimes available in markets, but unlike the sturgeon that they resemble, their eggs are highly toxic to humans. Several species are traded as aquarium fish.
The hard skin and scales of the gar were used by humans. Native Americans used the scales of the gar as arrowheads, native Caribbeans used the skin for breastplates, and early American pioneers covered their plows in gar skin. Not much is known about the precise function of the gar in Native American religion and culture, but besides using the gar, Creek and Chickasaw people have ritual "garfish dances."
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