Houndfish

The houndfish, or more specifically the crocodile needlefish (Tylosurus crocodilus) is a game fish of the family Belonidae, the needlefishes. It is the largest member of its family, growing up to 5 feet (1.5 m) in length and 10 pounds (4.5 kg) in weight.

Distribution

Houndfish are found throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans, their range stretching from the Red Sea and the coast of South Africa, east to French Polynesia, towards Japan, and south to New South Wales, Australia. The houndfish is replaced by its congener the Mexican needlefish in the eastern Pacific. Houndfish are known from New Jersey to Brazil in the west Atlantic, and in the east, they are found from Fernando Poo, Cameroon, and Liberia to Ascension Island. Houndfish can also be found near Guinea, Senegal and Cape Verde. It has been recorded in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, having moved from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal as part of the Lessepsian migration.

A pelagic animal, houndfish can be found over lagoons and seaward reefs either as individuals or small groups, where they feed mainly on smaller fishes. Houndfish lay eggs which attach themselves to objects in the water via tendrils on the surface of each egg.