The tigerfish is silver in colour when young, with thin black horizontal stripes and an elongated body that tapers at both ends.

In Northeast Africa it is found in the Ghazal and Jebel systems, Sudan, as well as Baro River, Ethiopia.

A demersal, potamodromous freshwater species, Hydrocynus brevis prefers open-water habitats.

It feeds mainly on fish and shrimps, with smaller individuals consuming aquatic insects.

There is, however, a conservation policy in place in Ghana, and one potential threat is overfishing, as well as deforestation and pollution.