Diamond Lizardfish
Synodus synodus
California Lizardfish
Synodus lucioceps
About
The California lizardfish gets its name from its long body and lizard-like head, and it spends most of its time propped up on the sand, waiting to dart at passing prey. It grows to about 64 cm, though most are closer to 30 cm.
- Length
- 30 cm · max 64 cm
- Depth
- 2–50 m
How to tell it apart
Its long body and sharp teeth can make it look like a barracuda, but barracuda are silvery with two well-spaced dorsal fins. This lizardfish is brown with only one dorsal fin and a small fleshy fin behind it.
Appearance
This fish has a long, cylindrical body and a pointed, lizard-like head full of sharp teeth. It is brown on the back, fading to tan on the sides and white on the belly. It has a single fin at mid-back, a tiny fleshy fin just behind it, yellowish fins beneath its front half, and a forked tail fin.
Habitat
It lives on sandy bottoms and sand patches near rocky reefs, mostly in shallow water but sometimes much deeper, from northern Mexico to California. It often rests propped up on its front fins, buried or half-buried in the sand.
Did you know?
Young lizardfish are almost see-through and scaleless, with a row of large black spots showing through the skin of the belly.
Log it in Into the Blue
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