- Great barracuda
The Great Barracuda is a species of
barracuda . Its binomial name is "Sphyraena barracuda". Great barracudas often grow over convert|6|ft|m|1 long. The great barracuda is a type ofray-finned fish .Appearance
Barracudas are elongated
fish with powerfuljaw s. The lower jaw of the largemouth juts out beyond the upper. Barracudas possess strong, fang-liketeeth . These are unequal in size and set insocket s in the jaws on the roof of the mouth. Thehead is quite large and is pointed and pike-like in appearance. Thegill -covers do not have spines and are covered with small scales. The twodorsal fin s are widely separated, with the first having five spines and the second having one spine and nine soft rays. The second dorsal fin equals the anal fin in size and is situated more or less above it. The lateral line is prominent and extends straight from head totail . The spinous dorsal fin is placed above the pelvics. The hind end of thecaudal fin is forked or . It is set at the end of a stout peduncle. Thepectoral fin s are placed low down on the sides. The barracudaswim bladder is large.In general, the barracuda's coloration is dark green or grey above chalky-white below. This varies somewhat. Sometimes there is a row of darker cross-bars or black spots on each side. The fins may be yellowish or dusky.
Behavior
Barracudas appear in open seas. They are voracious
predator s and hunt using a classic example of lie-in-wait orambush . They rely on surprise and short bursts of speed (up to 27mph (43 km/h) [2] ) to overrun their prey, sacrificing maneuverability. Barracudas are more or less solitary in their habits. Young and half-grown fish frequently congregate in shoals. Their food is composed almost totally of fishes of all kinds. Large barracudas, when gorged, may attempt to herd a shoal of prey fish in shallow water, where they guard over them until they are ready for another meal.
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