Gempylidae

black snoek

Thyrsitoides marleyi

Rising to surface to hunt prey

• Black
• Regional distribution
• Marine fish
• Pacific Ocean
• Africa
• East Asia
• Oceania
• Elongated
• Compressed cross-section
• Large

The blacksail snake mackerel (Thyrsitoides marleyi), also known as the black snoek, is a species of snake mackerel found in the Indo-Pacific from shallow water to a depth of at least 400 m (1,300 ft) where they appear to prefer slopes on seamounts and ridges. They are known for making diel vertical migrations to near-surface waters at night, feeding on fish, squid and crustaceans. This species reaches a total length of 2 m (6.6 ft) though most are around 1 m (3.3 ft).