Divefree

Fish

Hound Needlefish

Tylosurus crocodilus

A large, powerful needlefish of warm KZN surface waters, armed with a long, tooth-lined beak.

Also known as crocodile needlefish, houndfish, needlefish

Hound Needlefish
Photo: Philippe Bourjon · CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical size
Commonly 0.7-1.2 m
Habitat
Warm coastal and offshore surface water
Depth
Surface to shallow depths

The hound needlefish is the biggest of the region's needlefishes, a long, cylindrical, silver-green fish with a stout beak set with sharp teeth. It patrols the surface layer of warm coastal and offshore water, hunting smaller fish in explosive bursts.

Along the KwaZulu-Natal coast it is caught by anglers spinning or fishing live bait near the surface, and it will leap clear of the water when hooked or startled. That habit makes it genuinely hazardous, as large needlefish have injured people by skewering them with the beak during night-time leaps, so care is needed around the boat.