Halfbeaks

Halfbeaks are named for their curiously asymmetrical jaw. The lower jaw of a halfbeak is much longer than its upper jaw, giving it the appearance of an incomplete jaw that has been sliced in half lengthwise! As these skinny, toothpick-shaped fish like to hang out near the surface of the water, they may sometimes look like floating sticks or twigs!

Halfbeaks eat plant and animal matter near the water surface. Thus, some scientists suspect that halfbeaks use their protruding lower jaw to sense the presence of food such as fallen leaves or insects, which are found close to the surface of the water.