Fish profile · Belonidae

Hound needlefish

Tylosurus crocodilus

Sport · FoodSaltwaterNative to MalaysiaLeast Concern (IUCN)

Also called Houndfish

A surface-dwelling needlefish with long jaws and large teeth. It hunts small fish near the coast and offshore; large fish can leap clear of the water.

Last reviewed 13 October 2026 · 4 sources

Photo of Hound needlefish — no rights reserved · CC0

Max length: 150 cm
IUCN: LC; Least Concern
In Malaysia: Native
Family: Belonidae; order Beloniformes

Category from the IUCN Red List, via GBIF (CC BY 4.0); it may lag the latest Red List assessment.

How big?

Linear scale · person 170 cm

Up to 150 cm.

The person is 170 cm tall.

Where in Malaysia

11 open-licence records · GBIF

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Recorded (open records)

Recorded in Sabah. Based on 11 open-licence records on GBIF. Few records can mean few surveys, not few fish.

How to identify

Both jaws form a long toothed beak
Tail strongly forked with a longer lower lobe
Blue-green back and silver sides

Habitat

Coastal waters Open ocean

Surface waters along coasts and offshore.

Diet: Small fish.
Native range: Tropical and warm temperate seas.

More photos

Hound needlefish, photo 2 — (c) Ditch Townsend, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA

Hound needlefish, photo 3 — (c) portioid, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY

Sources

Last reviewed 13 October 2026