A juvenile needlefish caught during “night-lighting.”
The female juvenile needlefish will lay eggs that are equipped with tendrils which make the eggs stick to objects in the water.
Therefore juvenile belone needlefish have a very elongated jaw, and lacks the black posterior dorsal fin lobe that is found on adult Belone needlefish.
A majority of the needlefish species inhabits marine environments in the tropics, but you can find a few species in temperate waters too, and some needlefish species have adapted to a life in freshwater or brackish environments. Some needlefish species live in temperate zones only during the summer season. Needlefish will usually spend most of their time in shallow water. When they live in the open sea, they will stay near the surface.
The needlefish species are piscivores and feed chiefly on small fishes. When hunting, the needlefish catch prey using a sideways sweep of the head. Some needlefish species supplement their piscivore diet with crustaceans, cephalopods and plankton. Among the freshwater needlefish species, insects, tadpoles and frogs are also popular prey.
