#belonidae

[ifelten]

Hornfisk (Belone belone)

Garfish (Belone belone)

[biology-geology-beaches-india]

I would like to think this is a needle fish - Belonidae - except that certain morphological features give me pause. Firstly the tip of the snout is slightly rounded unlike the needle sharp tip of a typical needlefish. Secondly the extended long “tail” is drastically different from the flared out posterior fin of a needlefish. Also needlefish are edible and the fact that the fishermen - in whose nets this fish had been caught - had discarded this fish suggests that it is some other inedible species. Be that as it may, the closeup of the “snout” of this beast along with its white-ringed huge black goggle eye, is striking, it bearing an ancient antediluvian cast as though it had been hauled up from the Cretaceous!!!. March 28, 2010, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. For the sake of the swimmers out on nearby shore i hope it is not a needlefish, for these have been known to stab swimmers and fishermen in the face, neck and chest, leading in some cases to fatalities.

[collectiveofanimals]

Red Sea Houndfish

Tylosurus choram

Tylosurus translates into callous tail (Fish Base), while choram in Portugese means to cry, weep, or mourn.

Family: Belonidae (Needlefish)

Fun Fact: “Eggs may be found attached to objects in the water by tendrils on the egg's surface.” (Fish Base)

Habitat: They are endemic to tropical waters of the Red Sea, western Indian Ocean, and the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Ecosystem Role: They help keep smaller fish populations in check. They provide food for larger fish like sharks.

Conservation Status: Unknown

[collectiveofanimals]

Tylosurus choram 01 reflection by mauro mainardi