Great Barracuda, Sphyraena barracuda

Great Barracuda, Sphyraena barracuda. Fish caught from shore in Honolulu, Hawaii, June 2007. Length: 38 cm (15 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Kenneth Tse, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Great Barracuda, Sphyraena barracuda. Fish caught from coastal waters off Key West, Florida, December 2016. Length: 62 cm (2 feet 0 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Dean Kimberly, Atlanta, Georgia.

Great Barracuda, Sphyraena barracuda. Fish caught from coastal waters off Key West, Florida, December 2016. Length: 1.24 m (4 feet 0 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Great Barracuda, Sphyraena barracuda. Fish caught from coastal waters off Marathon, Florida, July 2018. Length: 1.32 m (4 feet 4 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).

Great Barracuda, Sphyraena barracuda. Underwater photographs taken in coastal waters of Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, April 2017. Photographs courtesy of Juan Rojo, Akumal. Juan observed that these fish exhibit an interesting schooling behavior as they have an affinity for ropes that mark off the safe snorkel area. They were found as close as 9 m (30 feet) from shore in 2 m (6 feet) feet of water. He noted that the very largest barracuda swim solo, can be found in pairs and  often in these larger groups and that the behavior is a repeatable.

Great Barracuda, Sphyraena barracuda. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters of Bonaire, December 2019. Photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Great Barracuda, Sphyraena barracuda. Underwater photograph taken with coastal waters off Cozumel Island, Quintana Roo, March 2021. Photograph and identification courtesy of Marina Sutormina, Stockholm, Sweden.

The Great Barracuda, Sphyraena barracuda, is a member of the Barracuda or Sphyraenidae Family, and is known in Mexico as barracuda. Globally, there are twenty-six species in the genus Sphyraena, of which eight are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and five in the Pacific Ocean.

The Great Barracuda has an overall barracuda-like appearance, predominant silver coloration, and the presence of about twenty faint, dark bands on their upper sides. Their body is elongated and cylindrical and covered with scattered irregular black blotches. Their anal, caudal, and dorsal fins are dark with white tips. They have a long head with a long pointed snout and a large protractile distinctly protruding lower jaw that reaches under the eyes. They have many long sharp teeth of varying sizes. Their anal fin has 2 spines and 8 rays, and is small and located under the second dorsal fin; their caudal fin is forked with central lobes; their first dorsal fin has 5 spines; their second dorsal fin has 1 spine and 8 to 10 rays; their small pectoral fins reach beyond the pelvic fin base and are located under the origin of the dorsal fin; and, their small pelvic fins originate before the dorsal fin. They have 1 or 2 short gill rakers. They are covered with small scales. They have a well-developed lateral line.

The Great Barracuda is found near shore and in and around coral reefs, sea grasses, and mangroves at depths up to 99 m (325 feet). They can also be found in the open ocean near the surface. Juveniles can be found in brackish waters. They can reach a maximum of 2.0 m (6 feet 6 inches) in length. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 40 kg (87 lbs) with the fish caught off Christmas Island in September 2012. The Great Barracuda can be found as either solitary individuals or in small schools. They prey upon small fish including anchovies, groupers, grunts, herrings, jacks, mullets, snappers, and tuna. They are in turn preyed upon by the Atlantic Giant Grouper, as well as various sharks and tuna. They are built for speed and can reach 58 kmh (36 mph) in short bursts. Reproduction involves external fertilization and the release of pelagic eggs. They have a lifespan of fourteen years. The Great Barracuda is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Great Barracuda is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean.

The Great Barracuda is most likely confused with the Guaguanche, Sphyraena guachancho (no dark bars; pelvic fins inserted before dorsal fin origin; maximum length 20 inches) and the Sennet, Sphyraena borealis (mouth ends before eyes; maximum length 20 inches).

From a conservation perspective the Great Barracuda is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are targeted as a sports fish by recreational anglers but they are not valued as a food fish as they are known to contain ciguatoxin. Attacks on humans are rare, however, there have been two deaths and several attacks have been documented.