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The species names / identity need verification - original names from plate are included here. The original plates showed the fishes facing right and have been flipped here. Saurida tumbil

Greater lizardfish

A cigar-shaped predatory fish of the Indo-Pacific muddy bottoms.

Photo: Francis Day, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The greater lizardfish is a marine species found across the Indo-West Pacific. It inhabits muddy sea floors and feeds on other fish and crustaceans. This predator supports minor fisheries in its range.

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  • Reaches a maximum length of 60 cm
  • Found on muddy bottoms in the Indo-Pacific
  • Feeds on fish, crustaceans and cephalopods
  • Has no dorsal or anal spines

What it is

This fish has a long, cigar-like body that is rounded or slightly flattened. Its head is pointed and depressed, with a snout wider than it is long. The upper body is brown while the belly is silver. Faint cross bands mark the back. The tips of the dorsal and pectoral fins are blackish, as is the lower part of the tail fin. It lacks spines on its dorsal or anal fins but has soft rays supporting them.

Where it lives

The species inhabits the Indo-West Pacific region. Its distribution extends from the Red Sea and the eastern coast of Africa, excluding Kenya, to Madagascar. It is also present in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea. The range continues eastward through Southeast Asia to Australia. It does not occur in the central or eastern parts of the Pacific Ocean.

How it lives

These fish live on the sea floor, preferring muddy substrates. They are often found in areas used for trawling. As predators, they consume other fishes, crustaceans, and cephalopods such as squid and octopus. Their physical shape allows them to navigate these bottom environments effectively while hunting for prey.

Greater lizardfish
A drawing made by EveryFish from what this page says. It is a diagram, not a picture of the real fish.

Fish and people

The greater lizardfish supports minor fisheries within its geographic range. Fishers catch them using trawls on the muddy bottoms where they reside. They are valued as food fish in local markets across the Indo-Pacific regions where they are abundant.

Questions people ask about Greater lizardfish

Where does the greater lizardfish live?

It lives in the Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to Australia. It avoids the central and eastern Pacific.

What does the greater lizardfish eat?

This species is a predator that feeds on other fishes, crustaceans, and cephalopods found on the sea floor.

How big does the greater lizardfish get?

The maximum recorded length is 60 cm. The average length at which they mature is around 30 cm.

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Greater lizardfish", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryFish rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

It may contain mistakes, and figures change over time. Nothing here is investment or buying advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-11-15.

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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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