Shortnose gar are long and skinny and have short, alligator-like snouts. Their brown, olive or dull gray bodies and yellow or whitish bellies have suited them perfectly for life in the river. The dorsal fin is located well posterior and the pectoral and pelvic fins have no spots. The skin is covered with diamond shaped ganoid scales arranged in oblique rows. They typically only have spots on the rear portion of their body and fins. They have shorter and broader snouts and fewer spots than either longnose or spotted gar.