Barracuda

Biology and range

Their bodies are dark gray, dark green, white, or blue on the upper body, with silvery sides and a chalky-white belly.^[2] The great barracuda is brownish or bluish gray on the dorsum with a greenish cast shading to silvery on the sides and a white belly.^[3] Black spots on the lower sides distinguish the great barracuda from other barracuda species.^[3] Great barracuda commonly occur in nearshore coral reefs, seagrasses, and mangroves.^[3]

Barracudas tend to be solitary but are sometimes found in small aggregations over reefs and sandy bottoms.^[3] The great barracuda’s top speed may be as fast as 36 mph (58 kph).^[3] Barracudas possess a physique reminiscent of snakes, characterized by prominent, sharp-edged teeth that resemble fangs and are set within sizable jaws.^[4] Coral reefs, sea grasses, and the water's surface layer are the typical habitats where barracudas are found.^[5]

As opportunistic and ferocious hunters, barracudas depend on ambush tactics and can achieve rapid speeds of up to 27 mph to capture their food.^[6]

What the specialist sources record

The AtlanticPanic fact sheet states that the great barracuda puts up a good fight and is esteemed by some anglers as a gamefish.^[3] The record for a hook and line caught great barracuda is 1.7 meters (5.5 feet) and 44 kg (103 lbs).^[3] Great barracuda have a lifespan of at least 14 years based on scale analysis of large specimens.^[3] The World Register of Marine Species lists the genus Sphyraena as accepted, with an environment of marine and brackish water.^[7]

GBIF holds 276,311 occurrence records for the genus Sphyraena as of October 2026.^[8]