Q: My, what big teeth this little feller has. I caught him with my daddy, who knows just about everything in the world except what kind of fish this one is. Can you help us? -Travis Clarke, Winter Park, Florida
A: Indeed, this fish has some formidable teeth. This little guy is an inshore lizardfish, Synodus foetens, and if you ever saw one of these explode from the sand to snatch a small, passing anchovy or glass minnow, you'd know why the dental work is so impressive. Lizardfish are classic "ambush predators" unable to sustain a chase. So when they get the chance to grab a meal, they can't mess it up. Fortunately, they don't grow very large - a 6- or 8-incher is considered big - or we might be afraid to ever get into warm, shallow waters where lizardfish live.
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