A barracuda is a large, predatory, Actinopterygii, saltwater fish of the genus Sphyraena, the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1815.
Etymology
The common name "barracuda" is derived from
Spanish language, with the original word being of possibly Cariban origin.
Description
Barracuda are
snake-like in appearance, with prominent, sharp-edged,
fang-like teeth, much like
piranha, all of different sizes, set in
tooth socket of their large jaws. They carry a striking resemblance to pike, although they are not related. They have large, pointed heads with an underbite in many species. Their gill covers have no spines and are covered with small scales. Their two
are widely separated, with the anterior fin having five spines, and the posterior fin having one spine and nine soft rays. The posterior dorsal fin is similar in size to the
anal fin and is situated above it. The
lateral line is prominent and extends straight from head to tail. The spinous dorsal fin is placed above the
and is normally retracted in a groove. The
caudal fin is moderately forked with its posterior edge double-curved and is set at the end of a stout
Caudal peduncle. The
pectoral fins are placed low on the sides. The
swim bladder is large, allowing for minimal energy expenditure while cruising or remaining idle.
In most cases, barracuda are dark gray, dark green, white, or blue on the upper body, with silvery sides and a chalky-white belly. Coloration varies somewhat between species. For some species, irregular black spots or a row of darker cross-bars occur on each side. Their fins may be yellowish or dusky. Barracudas live primarily in oceans, but certain species, such as the great barracuda, live in
brackish water. Due to similarities, sometimes Barracuda is compared with freshwater
Esox, though the major difference between the two is that Barracuda has two separate
with a forked tail, unlike the freshwater pike.
Some species grow quite large (up to 65 inches or 165 cm in length),
Species
)]]The barracuda genus Sphyraena'' contains 29 species:
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)]]Sphyraena acutipinnis'' Francis Day, 1876 (Sharpfin barracuda)
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Sphyraena afra W. K. H. Peters, 1844 (Guinean barracuda)
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Sphyraena arabiansis E. M. Abdussamad, Ratheesh, Thangaraja, Bineesh & D. Prakashan, 2015 (Arabian barracuda)
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)]]Sphyraena argentea'' Girard, 1854 (Pacific barracuda)
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Great barracuda (G. Edwards, 1771) (Great barracuda)
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Northern sennet DeKay, 1842 (Northern sennet)
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Sphyraena chrysotaenia Klunzinger, 1884 (Yellowstripe barracuda)
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Sphyraena ensis D. S. Jordan & C. H. Gilbert, 1882 (Mexican barracuda)
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Sphyraena flavicauda Rüppell, 1838 (Yellowtail barracuda)
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Bigeye barracuda Georges Cuvier, 1829 (Bigeye barracuda) )]])]]'')]]
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Sphyraena guachancho Georges Cuvier, 1829 (Guachanche barracuda)
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Sphyraena helleri O. T. Jenkins, 1901 (Heller's barracuda)
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Sphyraena iburiensis Ryu Doiuchi & Tetsuji Nakabo, 2005
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Sphyraena idiastes Edmund Heller & Snodgrass, 1903 (Pelican barracuda)
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Sphyraena intermedia Pastore, 2009
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Sphyraena japonica Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801 (Japanese barracuda)
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Sphyraena jello Georges Cuvier, 1829 (Pickhandle barracuda)
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Sphyraena lucasana T. N. Gill, 1863 (Lucas barracuda)
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Sphyraena novaehollandiae Günther, 1860 (Australian barracuda)
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Sphyraena obtusata Georges Cuvier, 1829 (Obtuse barracuda)
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Sphyraena picudilla Poey, 1860 (Southern sennet)
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Sphyraena pinguis Günther, 1874 (Red barracuda)
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Sphyraena putnamae D. S. Jordan & Alvin Seale, 1905 (Sawtooth barracuda)
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Sphyraena qenie Klunzinger, 1870 (Blackfin barracuda)
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Sphyraena sphyraena (Carl Linnaeus, 1758) (European barracuda)
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Sphyraena tome Fowler, 1903
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Sphyraena viridensis Georges Cuvier, 1829 (Yellowmouth barracuda)
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Sphyraena waitii William Ogilby, 1908
'', the earliest known fossil barracuda|240x240px]]The following fossil species are also known:
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†Sphyraena" amici/" itemprop="url" title="Wiki: Sphyraena amici">Sphyraena amici Louis Agassiz, 1843
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† Sphyraena bognorensis Casier, 1966
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† Sphyraena bolcensis Louis Agassiz, 1844
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† Sphyraena crassidens de Beaufort, 1926
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† Sphyraena croatica Gorjanović-Kramberger, 1882
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† Sphyraena cunhai da Silva Santos & Travassos, 1960
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† Sphyraena egleri da Silva Santos & Travassos, 1960
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† Sphyraena fajumensis (Dames, 1883)
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† Sphyraena hansfuchsi (Schubert, 1906)
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† Sphyraena intermedia Bassani, 1889
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† Sphyraena kugleri Casier, 1966
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† Sphyraena longimana Arambourg, 1966
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† Sphyraena lugardi Errol White, 1926
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† Sphyraena major Leidy, 1855
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† Sphyraena malembeensis Dartevelle & Casier, 1943
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† Sphyraena pannonica Weiler, 1938
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† Sphyraena senni Casier, 1966
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† Sphyraena sternbergensis Winkler, 1875
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† Sphyraena striata Casier, 1946
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† Sphyraena substriata (Münster, 1846)
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† Sphyraena suessi Gorjanović-Kramberger, 1882
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† Sphyraena tsengi Tao, 1993
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† Sphyraena tyrolensis von Meyer, 1863
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† Sphyraena viannai Dartevelle & Casier, 1949
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†" Sphyraena" viennensis Steindachner, 1859
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† Sphyraena weberi Leriche, 1954
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† Sphyraena winkleri Lawley, 1876
A related fossil genus, Parasphyraena, is known from the Miocene of Azerbaijan.
Behaviour and diet
Barracudas are ferocious, opportunistic
, relying on surprise and short bursts of speed, up to ,
to overtake their prey.
Adults of most species are more or less solitary, while young and half-grown fish frequently congregate.
Barracudas prey primarily on fish (which may include some as large as themselves). Common prey fish include Carangidae, Haemulidae, , Lutjanidae, small , mullets, , , and Anchovy; often by simply biting them in half.
Barracudas are usually found swimming in saltwater searching for schools of plankton-feeding fish. Their silver and elongated bodies make them difficult for prey to detect, especially when viewed head-on. Barracudas depend heavily on their eyesight when they are out hunting. When hunting, they tend to notice everything that has an unusual colour, reflection, or movement. Once a barracuda targets an intended prey item, its long tail and matching anal and dorsal fins enable it to move with swift bursts of speed to attack its prey before it can escape. Barracudas generally attack schools of fish, speeding at them head first and biting at them with their jaws. When barracudas age, they tend to swim alone. However, there are times when they tend to stay with the pack. Barracudas will sometimes swim in groups. In this case, they can relocate schools of fish into compact areas or lead them into shallow water to more easily feed on them.
Interactions with humans
Some species of barracuda are reputed to be dangerous to swimmers. Barracudas are scavengers, and may mistake snorkelers for large predators, following them hoping to eat the remains of their prey. Swimmers have reported being bitten by barracudas, but such incidents are rare and possibly caused by poor visibility. Large barracudas can be encountered in muddy shallows on rare occasion. Barracudas may mistake things that glint and shine, like jewelry, for prey.
One incident reported a barracuda jumping out of water and injuring a kayaker,
but Jason Schratwieser, conservation director of the International Game Fish Association, said that the wound could have been caused by a
houndfish.
Fatalities are nevertheless rare. Deaths have been reported in 1947 in Florida, 1957 in North Carolina and 1960 in Florida, again.
As food
Barracudas are popular both as food and
game fish. They are most often eaten as fillets or steaks. Larger species, such as the
great barracuda, have been implicated in cases of
ciguatera food poisoning.
Those who have been diagnosed with this type of food poisoning display symptoms of gastrointestinal discomfort, limb weakness, and an inability to differentiate hot from cold effectively.
smoke them for use in and . Smoking protects the soft flesh from disintegrating in the broth and gives it a smoky flavour.
In Thai cuisine, baracuda meat is often used in curry sauce for khanom chin (Thai fermented rice noodles) or steamed in banana-leaf parcels as hor mok. In Chinese cuisine, it is commonly prepared by steaming.
Gallery
File:Diver in school of barracudas.jpg|Scuba diver swimming inside a group of Sphyraena putnamae off Ko Tao, Thailand
File:Great Barracuda close-up, western Puerto Rico.jpg|Close-up of Great barracuda
File:School of blackfin barracuda (sphyraena qenie).JPG|School of Sphyraena qenie at Elphinstone Reef in the Red Sea
File:School of barracuda.JPG|A battery of Sphyraena putnamae in Bora Bora
File:Sphyraena flavicauda.JPG|A battery of Sphyraena flavicauda off Dayang Island, Malaysia
File:Sphyraena borealis.jpg| Northern sennet
File:FISH MARKET.jpg|Woman carrying a barracuda in Madagascar
External links
