This Houndfish (Tylosaurus crocodiles) was caught during “night-lighting.” The largest members of the needlefish family, they can grow while the houndfish has no spines, its dorsal fin has 21–25 soft rays, and its anal fin has 19–22.
They are also known to have 80–86 vertebrae. A key way of distinguishing them from other members of the genus Tylosurus is that the houndfish’s teeth point anteriorly when the fish is a juvenile. The teeth of other species are straight at all ages.
It also has a more stout, cylindrical body and a shorter head than other needlefishes. They have dark blue backs and silver-white sides and are plain white ventrally.
This fish has a distinct keel on the caudal peduncle, and the caudal fin itself is deeply forked. Juvenile houndfish possess an elevated, black lobe on the posterior of their dorsal fins up to 5 feet in length.
