The needlefish looks like a kind of gar, but they are an ocean-going fish that are typically smaller, rarely reaching a few feet in length. But don?t let its size fool you: if you were to think alligator gar has caused more deaths then a needlefish, you would be wrong. Needlefish can make jumps out of the water at speeds approaching 40 miles per hour, and if you?re standing in the wrong place and time, you could be accidentally speared by them. There have been two recorded deaths caused by needlefish, both as a result of a leaping needlefish ? one through the eye, and another through the heart.