Great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda)

Scientific name: Sphyraena barracuda Edwards, 1771

Great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda)

The Great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) is a brackish-water fish of the family Sphyraenidae.

Biology

Found predominantly at or near the surface. Juvenile occurs among mangroves, estuaries and shallow sheltered inner reef areas; adult occurs in a wide range of habitats from murky inner harbors to open seas. Diurnal and solitary, but can also be found in small aggregations. Feeds on fishes, cephalopods and sometimes on shrimps. Sold fresh. Utilized also dried or salted. Although this species is ciguatoxic elsewhere throughout its range, it has not been reported to be poisonous in the eastern Atlantic. Rarely attacks humans, usually with one quick, fierce strike, which, although serious, is rarely fatal. The world's record on hook and line is a 5.5-ft. fish taken in the Bahamas that weighed 103 lbs..

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Sphyraena barracuda
Family
Sphyraenidae (Barracudas)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
200
Common length
140
Depth range
1–100 m (3–328 ft)
Environment
Marine; brackish; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 100 m, usually 3 - 30 m
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and east coast of Africa to Hawaii and the Marquesan and Tuamoto islands. Western Atlantic: Massachusetts (USA), Bermuda, and throughout the Caribbean Sea to Brazil. Eastern Atlantic: Sierra Leone, C?te d'Ivoire, Togo, Nigeria, Senegal, Mauritania, St. Paul's Rocks, and S?o Tom? Island.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Traumatogenic
Uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.09-0.11; tm=2-4)

More other freshwater fish

See all other freshwater fish

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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