GarLab is always thankful for gar! What are you thankful for? #garlab #gar #thankful #nativefish

May I have this dance? 💃🏻🐟

#garlab #gar #dancingwiththestars #dancingwiththegars

She’s GARFUNKEL!

Thank you all so much for your suggestions and voting! We will be sure to adjust Garfunkel’s legal documents accordingly.

#GarWeek #Conservation #Fisheries #GarLab #Garology #FishSciComm #SciComm

Beyond Minnesota, #GarLab contributes to research much further down the Mississippi River! In partnership with The Nature Conservancy in Mississippi, we study gar ecology and life history in floodplain habitats. #GarWeek

The State of MN has deemed shortnose gar, longnose gar, and bowfin to be top priorities for conservation across our waterways. To support this effort, #GarLab collects data on these species to estimate populations and build growth models that help determine habitat usage for different life stages.

Happy day 5 of #GarWeek, conservation and research day! Here in Minnesota, the #GarLab is proud to contribute to valuable conservation efforts to protect native non-game fishes.

Which ancient fish are you? #GarWeek

#Conservation #Garology #FishSciComm #SciComm #GarLab

Take a minute and enjoy some ASM-GAR. #GarWeek

We use dissections to collect information on life history and ecology and infer the specimens' sex, age, diet, and more!

#Conservation #Garology #ASMR #FishSciComm #SciComm #GarLab

Meet #GarLab member Raine Flynn!
Raine is a third year student and she has been working in GarLab since it moved to MN in 2023. Her roles include husbandry of the gars, sturgeon, and bowfin housed in the lab, but she also helps with specimen processing, fieldwork, and science communication.
#GarWeek

Did you know that gars can dance too! Comment down below your favorite Dancing with the Gars couple. #GarWeek

Slides created by: @luxi_feyereisen

#Conservation #DancingWithTheStars #GarLab #Garology #FishSciComm

To celebrate #GarWeek, we’re introducing the faces behind #GarLab!
Meet Mark Hove:
Mark Hove is a UMN research biologist who works on various GarLab projects and also enjoys studying native mussels (hovelab.cfans.umn.edu).
#GarWeek

Let’s see what you’ve got 😎

#GarWeek #Conservation #Fisheries #GarLab #Garology #FishSciComm #SciComm

Meet #GarLab member Isa Terzian!
Isa is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and is passionate about inspiring others to see the environment through a more curious, caring lens. She has contributed to projects that blend science communication, storytelling, and creative outreach. #GarWeek

Meet #GarLab member Charlie Vaughn!
Charlie is a second year MS student based in UMN-Duluth, researching longnose gar and emerald bowfin life history variations in MN. He’s been thrilled to work with the team, and looks forward to further exploring the ecology of these species.

In the meantime, the hybrid will be waiting patiently.

#GarWeek #Conservation #Fisheries #GarLab #Garology #FishSciComm #SciComm

Submit your name ideas HERE:
forms.gle/ioox3VpBr1No...

#GarWeek #Conservation #Fisheries #GarLab #Garology #FishSciComm #SciComm

During Gar Week 2025, between Tuesday and Wednesday, offer your name ideas for the hybrid gar!

#GarWeek #Conservation #Fisheries #GarLab #FishSciComm #SciComm

Meet #GarLab member Luxi Feyereisen!
Luxi is a graduate of UW-Madison and is in her first semester of her master’s degree at the University of Minnesota. She is a passionate world traveler and loves to experience different cultures through their food, traditions, and aquatic life!
#GarWeek

Day in the Life, from #GarLab
How fun to have a daily "checking on the fishes" routine.

Join Gabby for a day in her life as a member of #GarLab!

#DayInMyLife #DIML #GarWeek #Conservation #Fisheries #GarLab #Garology #FishSciComm #SciComm
@solomonrdavid.bsky.social

Meet #GarLab member Gabby Gonzales!
Gabby is a graduate of the University of Michigan. She’s currently a lab tech and will start her MS at the University of MN in January. Fairly new to the lab, she’s loved getting to know the team and their work in ecology/conservation.
#GarWeek

Meet #GarLab member Jenna Pearson!
Jenna is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and has worked in the lab for over a year, now leading as lab manager. She is passionate about animals and the environment and hopes to build her career around conservation and animal care. #GarWeek

Horizontal photo of a crayon sketch of a baby gar

I know we've been eagerly waiting for some happy news to come out of the #LAMPLab but in the meantime, here is a baby gar for #SundayFishSketch! (Thanks to #GarLab for the reference gar!) (Also, first fish in the new sketchbook!) 🦑🐡🧪

Hahaha it's true! I'll hand over #GarLab #SciComm to her in the future 😎🥰

Meet #GarLab member
@jacobswilson.bsky.social!

Jacob, a senior at the University of Minnesota studying FWCB, joined GarLab for Directed Research in May 2024. Passionate about freshwater conservation, he brings field experience and aims to pursue a master’s in fish ecology. #GarWeek

Meet #GarLab member
@alyssarausch96.bsky.social!

Alyssa is a PhD student focusing her dissertation on comparing the life history/ecology of gars/bowfins in northern vs. southern regions. She is also collaborating with Native American tribes to explore how they value and manage these fish. #GarWeek

Meet GarLab member @ella1326.bsky.social
Ella is a senior in Earth Sciences and Marine Bio at the University of MN. She has previously worked with the MN Zoo as their freshwater mussel intern. Just having joined GarLab, she is excited to assist in the research of ancient fishes!
#Garweek #GarLab

Meet GarLab team member @jennampearson.bsky.social
Jenna is a senior in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, and Marine Biology at the University of Minnesota! Some of Jenna’s roles in the lab include helping out with data collection, science communication, and outreach! #Garweek #GarLab

Line up for this week…👀

#GarWeek #GarLab #Ancientfishes #sciencecommunication

An image of a gar (fish) with colorful feathers and beak of a turkey to match a Thanksgiving theme. The words “Happy Gars-giving” are at the top of the image.

Several facts about gars are listed in text form: Here are just a few things Gars GIVE to our environment (and us)! 🍁 As predators, gars help keep prey fish populations in check, which helps maintain ecosystem balance. 🍁 Based on their habitat preferences, gars can be indicators of environmental health, including restoration success! 🍁 Gars are host fish to multiple freshwater mussel species, important contributors to aquatic ecosystem health, including the endangered yellow sandshell. 🍁 Often referred to as “living fossils”, gars' extremely slow evolutionary rates provide valuable insights into evolution, biodiversity, and maybe even human health! We are thankful for all the things gars give us, for our team, and for you all and your support! Have a great Gars-giving from GarLab! 🐟

Happy Gars-giving from #GarLab! 🦃

Here are just a few things Gars GIVE to our environment (and us)!