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Barracudas are scavengers, and may mistake snorkelers for large predators, following them in hopes of eating the remains of their prey. Swimmers have been reported being bitten by barracuda, but such incidents are rare and possibly caused by poor visibility. Barracudas may mistake objects that glint
501:
Barracuda attacks on humans are rare, although bites can result in lacerations and the loss of some tissue. They are a popular target for recreational fishing, due to the strong fight they put up when hooked. However they are also known for the pungent odor they release upon being caught, and their
388:
In general, barracudas are elongated fish with powerful jaws. The lower jaw of the large mouth juts out beyond the upper. Barracudas possess strong, fang-like teeth that are unequal in size and set in sockets in the jaws and on the roof of the mouth. The head is quite large and is pointed and
369:
Great barracudas are large fish, and one of the largest of the
Barracudas. Mature specimens are usually around 60–100 cm (24–39 in) in length and weigh 2.5–9.0 kg (5.5–19.8 lb). Exceptionally large specimens can exceed 1.5 m (4.9 ft) and weigh over 23 kg
384:
The great barracuda is blue gray above, fading to silvery and chalky-white below. Sometimes, a row of darker crossbars occurs on its upper side, with black blotches on each lower side. The second dorsal fin and the anal and caudal fins range from dark violet to black with white tips.
370:(51 lb). The record-sized specimen caught on rod-and-reel weighed 46.72 kg (103.0 lb) and measured 1.7 m (5.6 ft), while an even longer example measured 2 m (6.6 ft). The largest great barracuda was said to have measured 3 m (9.8 ft).
356:
The great barracuda is present in tropical to warm temperate waters, in subtropical parts of the Indian, Pacific and
Atlantic oceans, from mangrove areas to deep reef, with a lower depth limit of 110 metres (360 ft). They are reported to be declining in Florida, and the
445:. They rely on surprise and short bursts of speed up to 36 mph (57.9 km/h) to overrun their prey, sacrificing maneuverability. Barracudas are more or less solitary in their habits. Young and half-grown fish frequently congregate in shoals.
448:
Barracudas can reach at least 14 years of age. The spawning season lasts from April to
October. Females can release about 5,000 to 30,000 eggs. The diets of these top predators of reefs are composed almost totally of fish,
401:
are widely separated, with the first having five spines and the second having one spine and 9 soft rays. The second dorsal fin equals the anal fin in size and is situated more or less above it. The
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Purdy, Robert W.; Schneider, Vincent P.; Applegate, Shelton P.; McLellan, Jack H.; Meyer, Robert L.; Slaughter, Bob H. (2001),
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is prominent and extends straight from head to tail. The spinous dorsal fin is situated above the pelvis. The hind end of the
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The Human
Evolution Blog: "That time I ate a barracuda and got ciguatera poisoning"; Professor Nathan H. Lents
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Aiken, K.A.; Dooley, J.; Marechal, J.; Pina
Amargos, F.; Russell, B.; Singh-Renton, S. (2017) .
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525:"The Neogene Sharks, Rays, and Bony Fishes from Lee Creek Mine, Aurora, North Carolina"
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in shallow water where they guard over them until they are ready for another hunt.
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485:, to name a few. Large barracudas, when gorged, may attempt to herd a school of
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covers do not have spines and are covered with small scales. The two
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are placed low down on the sides. The barracuda has a large
394:
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Great barracuda hovering in the current at
Paradise Reef,
683:
Florida Museum of
Natural History Ichthyology Department
453:, and occasionally shrimp. Their fish diet consists of
743:
413:, and it is set at the end of a stout peduncle. The
437:Barracudas appear in open seas. They are voracious
692:
359:Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
1061:
665:. texassaltwaterfishingmagazine.com. August 2014
580:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T190399A15603115.en
348:found in subtropical oceans around the world.
492:
351:
68:
37:
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529:Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology
428:
372:
643:"Sphyraena barracuda (Short barracuda)"
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361:are considering imposing catch limits.
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720:Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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1070:IUCN Red List least concern species
566:IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
13:
377:School of great barracudas in the
14:
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597:Florida Museum of Natural History
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1095:Fish of the Dominican Republic
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1:
509:
502:meat has a chance of causing
7:
321:Bloch & Schneider, 1801
10:
1116:
1085:Fish of the Atlantic Ocean
318:Sphyraena sphyraena picuda
246:Agrioposphyraena barracuda
819:
663:"Texas Saltwater Fishing"
433:Great barracuda with prey
393:-like in appearance. The
225:
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90:Scientific classification
88:
66:
57:
45:
36:
23:
693:The Nature Conservancy,
504:Ciguatera fish poisoning
493:Relationship with humans
352:Distribution and habitat
336:, commonly known as the
573:: e.T190399A115319634.
1100:Fish described in 1771
434:
381:
1029:Paleobiology Database
803:on Sealife Collection
432:
376:
281:Sphyraena commersonii
796:at Wikimedia Commons
648:Animal Diversity Web
498:and shine for prey.
425:Behavior and biology
292:Sphyraena dussumieri
235:Sphyraena barracuda
878:Sphyraena_barracuda
865:Sphyraena_barracuda
851:Sphyraena barracuda
821:Sphyraena barracuda
794:Sphyraena barracuda
782:Sphyraena barracuda
559:Sphyraena barracuda
344:: large, predatory
333:Sphyraena barracuda
199:Sphyraena barracuda
60:Conservation status
754:Marine life portal
435:
382:
340:, is a species of
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1016:Open Tree of Life
813:Taxon identifiers
792:Media related to
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181:S. barracuda
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147:Istiophoriformes
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27:Temporal range:
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338:great barracuda
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24:Great barracuda
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16:Species of fish
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1090:Fish of Cuba
1075:Sphyraenidae
820:
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705:, retrieved
701:the original
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667:. Retrieved
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506:when eaten.
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483:lizardfishes
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419:swim bladder
403:lateral line
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157:Sphyraenidae
18:
938:iNaturalist
845:Wikispecies
669:October 12,
631:Animal Spot
471:silversides
455:killifishes
451:cephalopods
399:dorsal fins
365:Description
1064:Categories
799:Photos of
707:2013-12-29
617:Marine Bio
535:2024-08-29
510:References
407:caudal fin
31:to Present
487:prey fish
475:anchovies
439:predators
342:barracuda
311:Schneider
175:Species:
168:Sphyraena
113:Kingdom:
107:Eukaryota
912:FishBase
836:Q2306485
830:Wikidata
477:, small
463:sardines
459:herrings
274:Lacepède
220:Synonyms
153:Family:
127:Chordata
123:Phylum:
117:Animalia
103:Domain:
80:IUCN 3.1
930:9784990
479:mullets
411:concave
379:Red Sea
239:Walbaum
213:, 1771)
211:Catesby
207:Edwards
163:Genus:
143:Order:
133:Class:
78: (
48:Cozumel
29:Miocene
1047:345843
1008:345843
969:190399
956:650251
481:, and
467:gobies
443:ambush
313:, 1801
309:&
298:, 1831
287:, 1829
285:Cuvier
276:, 1803
241:, 1792
52:Mexico
1042:WoRMS
1034:83285
1021:25363
995:79550
982:70868
943:47251
904:4Z2L3
891:11262
307:Bloch
1003:OBIS
977:NCBI
964:IUCN
951:ITIS
925:GBIF
917:1235
886:BOLD
671:2019
571:2015
395:gill
391:pike
229:List
899:CoL
873:AFD
860:ADW
575:doi
209:in
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205:(
82:)
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