SPECIES INFO
Houndfish (Tylosurus crocodilus) is found in the western Atlantic from New Jersey south into the Caribbean. The houndfish is also found worldwide in warm and temperate waters. Although most specimens are about 2 feet long, this needle fish can reach 4 or 5 feet in length. The houndfish is somewhat heavier bodied than most needle fish, and the houndfish has proportionally shorter jaws than most needle fish. This fish is known to leap from the water, and this lepaing cause harm to people in small boats. Some fatalities have occurred when leaping fish have impaled fishermen.The needlefish family (Belontidae) is found primarily in the tropical seas of the world. However, a few are found in temperate regions, and a few can be found in fresh water. Needle fish are frequently called garfish. These fish have long toothed upper and lower jaws. There are about 50 known species worldwide.
Atheriniformes group of fish consists of diverse marine and freshwater kinds. It includes many of the tropical aquarium fish (guppies, mollies, and platies), flying fish, and the needle fish of the ocean.
Bony fish, Class Teleostomi, are a class of chordates that include the majority of fish-like animals found on earth. They are characterized by a bony jaw and a bony skeleton. They are found in both fresh and marine waters.
Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.
Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.
Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
