Elopidae

The Elopidae family, commonly known as ladyfishes, are archaic ray-finned fish belonging to the order Elopiformes. These fish inhabit marine and brackish waters and are considered among the most primitive bony fish.1

Ladyfishes are slender, pikelike, and covered in fine silver scales. They are predatory, possessing small, sharp teeth and a bony throat plate. While ladyfishes typically reach about 1 meter (3 feet) in length, their relatives, the tarpons, can grow up to 2.5 meters (8 feet). Both ladyfishes and tarpons are known for their distinctive surface behaviors: ladyfishes "roll" while tarpons leap out of the water, which is believed to be for air intake to supplement their swim bladder, which functions like a lung.12

The Elopidae family has an extensive fossil record dating back to the Jurassic Period, with more fossil species than currently living ones.1