Yes, you read “jaw of a crocodile”. It’s a houndfish which is a game fish of the family Belonidae. It is the largest member of its family, growing up to 5 feet in length and 10 pounds in weight.
Appearance
It’s beak almost looks like the jaw of a crocodile. That is why it is also called crocodile needlefish.
Known As
Houndfish is called by many names in different regions, like Hound needlefish, Alligator Gar, Giant Longtom, Crocodile Longtoms, Seagars, Ocean Piper and Garfish Gar.
Description
This fish has a long and thin body with pointed and narrow jaw. An adult fish can be around 5 feet in length and weigh around 10 pounds. The color of the sides is silver. The backside has green and blue shades. The underside is generally white. Instead of spines, Houndfish has soft rays. They have 20 – 25 soft rays in its dorsal fin and 19 – 22 soft rays in the anal fin.
South Carolina Record
At Murrells Inlet a Houndfish set a record of 9 lbs. 4 ozs. by W. Kirby from Pittsburg, PA.
Bait
Houndfish is generally caught by using live baits. They have a tendency to play with the bait before actually swallowing it. Most game-fishers consider this species as a catch-and-release fish.
Dangerous
Houndfish a very popular game-fish, yet they can be very dangerous as they have a tendency to jump out from the water at a very high speed if they are frightened. They can cause injury to fishermen with their snouts. They can bite with their sharp teeth.
Where
This fish is found in oceans across the world. In West Atlantic region they inhabit from United States to Brazil and in the East Atlantic region, they are found near the African coastline.
Eat
Their diet consists of anchovies and other small fishes which fit into their mouth. They are also known to feed on small flying fishes.
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