Identification and feeding
The tail fin has a shallow inward curve rather than a deeply forked outline. Fin-ray and vertebral counts help distinguish it from other needlefishes in technical keys. Its diet consists mainly of small fishes. Despite the common name, much of its range lies well south of California.
Sources: Strongylura exilis species summary
Eggs and young
The species lays eggs with long filaments that fasten them to plants or floating material. Larvae occur at the surface. That attachment-based egg stage differs from a freely drifting egg and gives floating objects and coastal vegetation a role in its early life history.
Sources: Strongylura exilis species summary
