Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda)

Barracuda (Great) (Sphyraena barracuda)

Fast and ferocious, the Great Barracuda is a true predator of the seas. With its huge gape and sharp teeth, it's able to feed on larger prey by chopping it in half. With low food value, 'cudas are normally caught for trophy purposes or as bycatch.

 

Younger and smaller specimens can sometimes be found in schools over nearshore coral reefs and mangroves, even in areas with high amounts of freshwater influx. They quickly mature and move away into the open ocean, where they are mostly solitary swimmers, predominantly close to the surface, but sometimes patroling depths of up to 325ft.

They are sometimes attracted to spearfishing prey and can attack it, or mistake the glint of equipment to be fish. This is behind the reports of Barracuda attacking humans (there are even a couple of deaths on record), but all of these are cases of confusion, as these fish don't see people as prey.