Needlefishes and Relatives: Beloniformes

Needlefishes and their relatives live all over the world.

Some needlefishes and their relatives live in the surface waters of the open ocean and in coastal habitats such as estuaries (EHS-chew-air-eez), the areas where rivers meet the sea. The freshwater species live in lakes and rivers.

Needlefishes and their relatives eat small fishes, animal plankton, water and land insects, algae, sea grasses, and waste material. Plankton are microscopic plants and, in this case, animals drifting in water. Algae (AL-jee) are plantlike growths that live in water and have no true roots, stems, or leaves.

Needlefishes are caught at night by fishermen using lights. In areas where there are many flyingfishes, fishermen leave a light suspended all night over a canoe partially filled with water and return in the morning to a boat full of fish. Freshwater halfbeaks, rice fishes, and needlefishes are used in aquariums. In Thailand, halfbeaks are sold as fighting fish. Rice fish are bred in captivity for use in research.