Fish
Cape Longtom
Petalichthys capensis
A slender, needle-jawed longtom of southern African inshore waters, silver-sided with the long beak typical of its family.
Also known as cape needlefish, crocodile longtom, longtom
- Typical size
- Commonly 30-50 cm
- Habitat
- Inshore surface waters and bays
- Depth
- Surface to shallow inshore
The Cape longtom is a slim, elongate surface fish with a long, toothed beak and a bright silver flank shading to green-blue above. It belongs to the needlefish family and, like its relatives, hunts small fish at or near the surface, often skittering across the top in fast bursts.
It occurs in inshore and estuarine waters around the southern African coast, favouring calm bays and the surface layer over reef and sand. Anglers hook it while spinning for other surface feeders, and the greenish bones sometimes seen in cooked longtom are harmless, a natural feature of the family.