Generally a diurnal fish, great barracuda locate their prey largely by sight. The body plan of the great barracuda is designed for speed and it is estimated that top speed for the species may be as fast as 36 mph 58 kph. Reproduction The timing and location of spawning has not been well documented. It is believed that spawning takes place in deeper, offshore waters.
Evidence exists that barracuda are seasonal spawners and in the Florida Keys they are believed to breed in the spring. During the spawning event, eggs are released and fertilized in open waters and dispersed by the currents. Newly hatched larvae bear little resemblance to adults. Seeking safety from predators as well as a source of food, the larvae settle in shallow, vegetated areas of estuaries. Juveniles become recognizable as miniature versions of the adults at about.
At a length of about 1. These juvenile barracuda spend the remainder of their first year of life within mangrove and seagrass habitats. During the second year of life, they move to deep reef areas where they will spend their adulthood.
Predators There are few predators that are large enough and fast enough to feed on adult great barracuda. Sharks, tuna, and goliath grouper have been known to feed on small adult barracuda. Juveniles likely fall prey to a variety of inshore predators. Parasites In general, the barracuda has few parasites for a fish that has been well studied.
The monogean trematode Pseudochauhanea sphyraenae is an ectoparasite occurring on the gills of the great barracuda. Copepods have also been observed around the mouth area of this fish. Other parasites include protozoans, numerous digenea flukes , monogenea gillworms , cestoda tapeworms , nematoda round worms , isopods, and fish lice.
The great barracuda is also parasitized by other fish ectoparasites including the live sharksucker Echeneis naucrates , pilotfish Naucrates ductor , slender suckerfish Phtheirichthys lineatus , spearfish remora Remora brachyptera , and marlin sucker Remora osteochir.
Johann Julius Walbaum first described Sphyraena barracuda in The genus Sphyraena is Latin meaning a pike-like fish. Synonyms include S. Discover Fishes Sphyraena barracuda. Great Barracuda Great barracuda. Danger to Humans Barracuda cruising over seagrass bed. Habitat Great barracuda commonly occur in nearshore coral reefs, seagrasses, and mangroves. Biology The great barracuda is easily recognized. Skull of the great barracuda. Great barracuda: note the double emarginate tail fin.
The largest individuals reach about five feet long, though some can exceed this size. However, the average size varies based on the species. These predatory fish have a number of traits and adaptations. Learn more about what makes them unique, below. Different species in this family occupy different habitats. Some utilize a variety of habitats while others live and specialize in a specific ecosystem.
Some of the different types of habitats that they live in include reefs, coastal waters, pelagic habitats, and other saltwater areas. Again, each species has its own unique range and distribution. You can find some species across vast expanses while others live in just a small region. The various species live in tropical and subtropical seas across the globe. The diet of these fish varies based on the species at hand and the size of the individual.
Larger fish can hunt for larger prey. Typically, they hunt primarily for fish and squid. Some common prey items include herring , anchovy , mullet, sardine, grouper, snapper, and much more.
Human interaction varies based on the species. In some regions, people eat these fish in large numbers, but with some larger species consuming their meat poses a significant danger of poisoning. The larger fish themselves can also pose a danger to swimmers and divers, particularly in murky waters.
The young have dark crossbars on their backs and blotches on their sides. The young also have a soft dorsal fin and the anal and caudal fins can be blackish Beebe and Tee-Van Males and females are indistinguishable to humans Paterson It is still unclear about the timing and location of spawning of Sphyraena barracuda. Some research reports that they spawn in the spring. Others claim that they spawn in association with particular phases of the moon.
Still others claim that great barracudas spawn throughout the year with the exception of the winter months when it is cooler. It may be that great barracudas show different spawning patterns in different areas of the world. Overall, the picture of spawning patterns in great barracudas is incomplete Paterson Great barracuda do not care for their fertilized eggs.
They are left to drift out into the ocean and eventually take form Paterson When the fish spawn they enter shallow waters such as estuaries. The larvae hatches and seeks shallow weedy areas on the margins of clear-water estuaries. When the larvae reach a length of about 80mm they move to the deeper waters of adjacent reed beds.
At about mm they will move to open waters and eventually they will move out of the estuaries completely at about mm in length Blaber Blaber, ; Paterson, Sphyraena barracuda is often a solitary fish as an adult, especially at night.
Juveniles and adults can be observed traveling in schools during the day. Other behavior has been observed, such as, adult great barracuda schooling during the day, likely hunting for food or protecting each other from predation. Groups of hundreds and even thousands of great barracudas have been observed. This, however, is rarely seen Paterson They are known as vicious fish Lieske and Myers They have been known to attack divers and are capable of inflicting severe wounds.
They kill compulsively and will destroy more than they eat Grosvenor Most often, great barracudas attack only when provoked Moyle and Cech Great barracuda eat other fish. They are piscivorous at all ages. Their large teeth are quite useful for this purpose. They have a large gape which allows them to feed on very large fish by chopping them in half. They eat what they can catch using their combination of a sit-in-wait and active predator style.
As juveniles, these fish compete with needlefishes and small snapper for food. This consists of killifishes, herrings, sardines, gobies, silversides, anchovies small mullets, and lizardfishes to name a few. As the fish get older and bigger, they may compete with larger fish like mackerel, or even dolphins, depending on their habitat Paterson Sphyraena barracuda will feed on both bottom-dwelling species as well as species of the higher water column Paterson They have the narrow head-on profile and the silvery color which reduces their visibility to prey.
It has been observed that great barracudas herd schools of fish into shallow water and guard them. They will do this until their last meal has been digested and they are hungry again Norman Great barracuda meat is tasty for some people.
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