About Synodus saurus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synodus saurus, commonly called the Atlantic lizardfish or the bluestripe lizardfish, is a species of lizardfish that lives primarily in the Atlantic Ocean. It inhabits marine, demersal environments with a maximum depth range of around 400 meters, and is more commonly found within 20 meters of the surface. This subtropical native species occurs in the Eastern Atlantic from Morocco to Cape Verde and the Azores, throughout the Mediterranean, and in the Western Atlantic near Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Lesser Antilles, and the Leeward Islands. It is mainly found in insular waters, on substrates of sand or mixed sand and rock. The maximum recorded total length for an unsexed male individual is about 40 centimeters (16 inches). Its diet consists mainly of other fish, though it occasionally feeds on other types of animals. This lizardfish hides and camouflages itself by burrowing into sand, leaving only its eyes exposed to watch for prey before it pounces when food is available.
