Garfish or needlefish are easily recognised by their long thin bodies and long needle like mouths. Adults can reach up to 1 m in length and are mostly silver with a blue to green back, which is a typical counter-shading pattern of pelagic fish. There is a single dorsal and anal fin set away from the head and close to the tail. The garfish is a commercially important species but many people are put off by the garfish's green skeleton. In juveniles, the lower jaw is much longer than the upper jaw but in adults the jaws are almost the same length.