Lepisosteiformes are a group of fish commonly called needles, catanes, pejelagarto or manjuaríes.
There is only one family associated with this order, the Lepisosteidae, which is divided into two genera, the Atractosteus and the Lepisosteus, which between the two contain seven different species of fish.
They are very original and curious fish, due to their special morphology. They are cylindrical and elongated, they have a kind of armor that covers them and that is made up of very hard scales.
And as happened with the knights of the Middle Ages, the armor of the Lepisosteiformes greatly limits their movements.
Also noteworthy is its long snout, somewhat depressed between the eyes and nose.
They have vertebrae, very similar to those found in reptiles, and as with these, they have a slow and leisurely swimming, capable of offering explosive speed when it comes to attacking their prey.
Their appearance is very primitive, I would dare to say that they are descendants of dinosaurs, not in vain there are fossil remains that date this species from the Cretaceous.
Lepisosteiformes live in freshwater rivers, although they can occasionally do so in seawater, in river estuaries, or near the coast.
They can be found in North America , Central America , and the Caribbean.
Lepisosteiformes fish varieties
Lizard peje
Read more
