Great Barracuda

Sphyraena barracuda
Great Barracuda [+]

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Sphyraenidae
Genus: Sphyraena
species: Sphyraena barracuda

Description & Behavior:
The great barracuda, Sphyraena barracuda (Edwards in Catesby, 1771), is a curious, fearsome-looking, usually solitary predator common to reefs and shallows of Florida and the Caribbean. Distinguished by a torpedo-shaped body, large eyes and mouth, formidable teeth, a double emarginate (notched) tail fin with pale tips on each lobe, and (usually) the presence of a few scattered black blotches on the lower sides. The top of the large head between the eyes is flat or concave. Maximum length 2 m; maximum weight: 50 kg. Environment: pelagic; brackish; marine; depth range 0-100 m. Climate: subtropical; 30°N-30°S.