The Galapagos saw-tail cranes feed primarily on seaweed that grows on rocks and coral reefs. It is distributed in the coral reef waters of the eastern central Pacific Ocean, inhabiting shallow lagoons and coral reef areas with a water depth of 3-30 meters, usually living in large groups.

The Galapagos saw Tail hanging into fish body is oval and flat side. The head is medium and large, the snout is protruding, the mouth cleft is small, and the upper and lower jaws are of equal length. The upper and lower jaws each have 1 row of teeth, the front end is incisor-shaped, and the rear end is serrated. The body is covered with tiny comb scales, resembling shark skin. The spines of the dorsal and anal fins are sharp. The pectoral fins are nearly triangular, and the caudal fins are nearly truncate or concave. Adults are uniformly blue-grey, without any markings on the sides of the body. The head has a black eye band of the same width as the eye diameter, extending only down to the opercular margin, a white vertical band behind the eye band, only extending down to the front of the pectoral fins, and another black vertical band behind the leucorrhea, down Extends to the base of the pectoral fins. The pectoral fins are black, the caudal fins are uniformly yellow, and the remaining fins are the same color as the body. The caudal peduncle and front end have 3 black and white-spotted bony plates.