Barracuda

Barracudas are tropical marine fish that belong to the Mugilidae family, which includes grey mullet. Barracudas are vicious predators that are feared more than sharks in some regions, such as the West Indies. With two dorsal fins, the body is elongated and powerful. Sharp, dagger-like teeth line the jaws, allowing for a precise, clean bite. There have been numerous reports of barracudas assaulting divers, and they seem to be drawn to anything that moves erratically or is brightly coloured. They eat fish and, like sheepdogs, have been observed herding shoals of fish until they are ready to attack.

Sphyraena borealis, the smallest, grows to about 18 inches (46 cm) and is located along the Atlantic coast of North America. The big barracuda, Sphypraena barracuda, is found in the western Pacific and on both sides of the tropical Atlantic, reaching a length of 8 feet (24 metres). Its behaviours are shrouded in mystery, as it is known to attack divers in the West Indies, but it is thought to be harmless to humans in the Pacific region, particularly in Hawaii. Only one species, Sphyraena sphyraena, grows to be 5 ft (1:5 m) long in the Mediterranean. CLASS: Pisces, FAMILY: Sphyraenidae, ORDER: Perciformes, FAMILY: Sphyraenidae