These fish are long (0.8m to 1.8m), extremely slender fish associated with tropical reefs. The snout is especially long with a supprisingly large mouth, which enables them to capture other fish. They are lie-in-wait predators that conceal themselves either by hanging in the water column above the reef, by hanging close to the reef itself (often vertically with soft coral or elongated sponges to hide), or by associating closely with large browsing fish (like parrotfsh).