These fierce-looking, torpedo-shaped fish can be found in warm and tropical waters all round the world. Each of the 20 or so different species of barracuda are intimidating ocean predators, but it’s the great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) that strikes fear into the hearts of prey fish big and small.
What do barracuda look like?
One of the deadliest fish in the world, Barracuda are instantly recognisable by their shiny, silver, torpedo-shaped bodies, pointed snout, jutting lower jaw packed with fearsome teeth, and banded body markings. Markings vary from species to species, and can also be used by scientists to identify individuals within species. Great barracuda feature an additional set of markings: dark spots on their lower halves.
How big are barracuda?
The smallest species, the northern barracuda (Sphyraena borealis), is just 45cm long, while the largest species, the great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda), can grow up to 2m.
Where do barracuda live?
Barracuda can be found in all warm and tropical regions. Most species tend to prefer coastal waters up to 100m deep, including around coral reefs and off continental shelves, where they have a large range of prey available. Great barracuda, which are considered pelagic, rather than reef fish, can also be found in open ocean and are known to be capable of diving to depths of 175m.
Juvenile barracuda take shelter from predators in habitats such as mangroves and seagrass meadows, before emerging into deeper waters when mature and therefore less vulnerable to predation.
Are barracuda social?
Some barracuda gather together in schools while others tend to be solitary. The sawtooth barracuda (Sphyraena putnamae) moves in schools during the day but hunts alone at night.
What do barracuda eat?
Barracuda are piscivorous, or fish eaters. They are opportunistic feeders with a diverse diet that includes anchovies, herrings, small tunas, jacks and grunts, as well as the occasional squid. Barracuda will swallow small fish whole, or bite fish almost as big as themselves into manageable pieces. Large barracuda are solitary hunters while smaller species tend to live and hunt in shoals.
How are barracuda adapted for hunting?
Barracuda are extremely well adapted for hunting, with countershading that keeps them camouflaged in the water, enabling them to lay in wait and then sneak up on prey. They have excellent vision, and feed mainly in the daytime, though nocturnal feeding has also been observed in some species. Their streamlined bodies allow them to dart through the water after prey – all barracuda are capable of sudden bursts of speed but the great barracuda is the ultimate ambush predator, clocking in at up to 36mph.
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A barracuda’s mouth has two rows of extremely sharp teeth that work together to pierce or cut prey as needed. Some of their teeth even face backwards – perfect for keeping a tight grip on a slippery fish or squid. A great barracuda will eat a very large fish by chomping down repeatedly on it with extraordinary force, a technique known as ram-biting.
What preys on barracuda?
The largest barracudas have very few predators but the smaller species are eaten by sharks, dolphins, orca and groupers.
Do barracuda attack humans?
Barracuda are not generally aggressive to humans – the vast majority of interactions are without incident – but they have been known to attack swimmers and spearfishers, having mistaken a shiny piece of equipment or jewellery for the scales of a prey fish. When bites do occur, they can usually be treated with stitches.
Are barracuda poisonous?
A far greater danger comes from eating large barracuda, in some parts of their range at least, with ciguatera poisoning posing a real risk to health. Ciguatoxins produced by marine plankton on coral reefs are consumed by small fish, which are then consumed by larger fish and so on, with toxins accumulating the higher up the food chain you go.
As apex predators in areas where ciguatoxins are present, large species of barracuda end up as repositories of large amounts of the stuff, resulting in nasty gastrointestinal symptoms when consumed by humans, which can last for months.
Not all great barracuda will contain ciguatoxins, but as they are colourless, odourlous and flavourless, and are not destroyed by either cooking or freezing, it’s best to steer clear. Small barracuda pose less of a risk as the shorter food chain means ciguatoxins are less likely to have accumulated.
How do barracuda reproduce?
Barracuda spawning isn’t well studied but scientists believe that reproduction takes place in deeper waters, away from coasts. For some species, spring and summer is key spawning time, while others appear to spawn all year round. Eggs and sperm are released, with fertilisation occurring in open water, and embryos dispersed by currents. Newly hatched barracuda larvae look nothing like adult fish, only becoming recognisable as barracuda at around 1.5cm long. They remain as larvae for several weeks, consuming small crustaceans to start with before switching to fish larvae. Great barracuda reach sexual maturity as early as 1 year old (males) or 3 years old (females).
What threats do they face?
Barracuda are not listed as threatened or near threatened by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Considered game fish because of their size and strength, great barracuda are fished for sport, or caught as bycatch by fishers pursuing other species. Other species, including the pickhandle barracuda (Sphyraena jello) are fished commercially in some regions – being long-lived, they are vulnerable to overfishing.
How long do barracuda live?
Larger species of barracuda can live beyond 14 years
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