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DistributionDistribution: Indian Ocean (West to South Africa and the Red Sea) and western Pacific (Japan to New South Wales). Body elongate and compressed. Jaws with fanglike teeth. Intestine with spiral valve. Gill rakers 17-22. Pyloric caeca absent. Scales small. Dorsal fin rays 16-18. Pectoral fin rays 13-15. Branchiostegal rays 6-8. Vertebrae 70-74. Attains 3.6 m maximum length. Ravenous carnivores. Monotypic, but some authors recognize one more species.