Halfbeak

ID points

• Only the lower jaw is drawn out into a needle, the upper jaw is short
• Tip of the lower jaw often bright red or orange
• Swims in small schools right at the surface

Basics

Family

Hemiramphidae

Length

15–35 cm

Depth

0-5 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs · Caribbean & W. Atlantic · Open ocean

Distribution

Tropical coastal surface waters worldwide

Habitat

Coastal surface waters

Diet

Plankton and algae

Easily confused with

Bird WrasseExtremely long snout, curved like the beak of a birdCornetfishBody long and thin like a tube, the snout making up a third of itNeedlefishUpper and lower jaws equally drawn out into a slender pointed beak

Fun fact

The lower jaw is markedly longer than the upper one, which is where the name half-beak comes from. It lives right at the surface, taking small insects that fall onto the water, and its body is exceptionally long, thin and slender.