Atlantic needlefish

The Atlantic needlefish is a slender surface hunter often seen cruising just under the water's surface in marinas and calm bays. It commonly reaches about 60 cm, with the largest topping a metre.

Also known as: atlantic needlefish, atlantic needlefish, billfish, bluebone, garfish, green gar, swordfish, silvery gar, silver gar, green gar, northern needlefish, saltwater gar, sea pike, harvest pike

It can look like other slender surface needlefish sharing its range. Check for a small dark patch just behind the eye that stops above the eye's midline.

Its body is long, round, and eel-like, drawn out into extremely long, thin jaws lined with needle-like teeth. The rear of the upper jawbone stays visible even with the mouth closed. Its dorsal and anal fins sit low and far back on the body, and it has no spines in any fin.

It lives along the western Atlantic coast from Maine to Brazil, favouring calm inshore waters such as marinas, estuaries, and shallow bays with little current. It sometimes pushes well upstream into fresh water and is often seen near the surface over reefs and open water columns.

The Atlantic needlefish swims with a whole-body, side-to-side undulation like an eel, staying near the surface where it can burst forward to escape predators such as tarpon, dolphins, and young lemon sharks. It hunts by patiently stalking prey, then tilting its long jaw sideways to snap it up.

Young needlefish eat mostly shrimp and small crustaceans, while adults feed almost entirely on small fish such as killifish and silversides.

The Atlantic needlefish is not considered threatened. It has little commercial value, though it is sometimes caught as bycatch or by anglers using it as bait.

• 

  Garfish

  Belone belone

• 

  Houndfish

  Tylosurus crocodilus

• 

  Needlefish

  garfish