Needlefish


The needlefish looks like a kind of gar, but they are an ocean-going fish that are typi- cally smaller, rarely reaching a few feet in length. But don’t let its size fool you: if you were to think alligator gar has caused more deaths then a needlefish, you would be wrong. Needlefish can make jumps out of the water at speeds approaching 40 miles per hour, and if you’re standing in the wrong place and time, you could be accidentally speared by them. There have been two recorded deaths caused by needlefish, both as a result of a leaping needlefish – one through the eye, and another through the heart.


Atlantic Scombrops


The Atlantic Scombrops - commonly called ‘gnomefish’ - looks like some- one who just saw something incredi- bly surprising, and didn’t like it. Its huge eyes and not-so-flattering col- ours may make you think it wouldn’t be very tasty, but gnomefish actually make a great meal. Anglers mostly fish for them between Florida and the Bahamas, in waters hundreds of feet deep.


Payara


You know you’re a weird-looking fish if a popular nickname for you is “vampirefish.” The two long fangs on its


Henry Waszczuk holds up a big gnomefish.


lower jaw make it look like one of those fish found in the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean, but they are actually native to the Amazon Basin and Orinoco River in Venezuela. Those fangs can grow to be 4- 6 inches long, pretty big for a fish that rarely grow much bigger than a foot. What do they use the big teeth for? Well if one of your primary targets is a piranha, an- other Amazon fish famous for its teeth, you'd do thankful to have some long, sharp teeth too.


I Shoot and Fish E-Zine March 2012 28


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