barracuda

any voracious marine fish of the genus Sphyraena having an elongated cylindrical body and large mouth with projecting lower jaw and long strong teeth

This article is about the fish. For the submarine, see Barracuda class submarines.''pink name = Barracuda caption = Great barracuda, ''Sphyraena barracuda'', with prey pink Animalia ChordateChordata Actinopterygii Perciformes Sphyraenidae ''Sphyraena'' Taxobox end placement pink plural_taxon = Species ''See text''Taxobox end The barracuda (''Sphyraenus'', family Sphyraenidae) is a ray-finned fish notable for its large size (up to 1.8 m or 6 ft) and fearsome appearance. The one genus of the family includes about 25 known species.The barracuda body is elongated, with the lower jaw of the large mouth jutting out, and displaying prominent fang-shaped teeth. The two dorsal fins are widely separated, with the first having five spines and the second one spine and nine soft rays. The lateral line is prominent.They are caught as food and game fish (however, barracuda flesh can occasionally contain ciguatera toxin).

Behavior - s in Koh Tao, Thailand.]]Barracudas occur both singly and in swarmschools around reefs, but also appear in open seas. They are voracious predators and hunt using a classic example of lie-in-wait or ambush. They rely on surprise and short bursts of speed to overrun their prey, sacrificing maneuverability.There have been a few isolated cases where barracudas attacked a human thinking that part of it was a fish, but these incidents are extremely rare; especially when considering the number of times that barracudas and humans meet each other. While barracudas sometimes follow snorkelingsnorkelers and Scuba divingscuba divers across the reef, which can make one feel uncomfortable, there exists no substantiated reports of unprovoked attacks. Known incidents generally involve spearfishing or hand feeding.

Distribution - Barracudas occur in subtropical and tropical oceans worldwide.

Species - .]]

Sphyraena acutipinnis (Sharpfin barracuda)

Sphyraena afra (Guinean barracuda)

Sphyraena argentea (Pacific barracuda; Latin literally 'silver')

Sphyraena barracuda (Great barracuda)

Sphyraena borealis (Northern sennet)

Sphyraena chinensis (Striped barracuda; Latin name 'Chinese')

Sphyraena chrysotaenia (Yellowstripe barracuda)

Sphyraena ensis (Vicuda or Mexican barracuda)

Sphyraena flavicauda (Yellowtail barracuda)

Sphyraena forsteri (Bigeye barracuda)

Sphyraena guachancho (Guachanche barracuda)

Sphyraena helleri (Heller's barracuda)

Sphyraena idiastes (Pelican barracuda)

Sphyraena japonica (Japanese barracuda)

Sphyraena jello (Pickhandle barracuda or Indo-malaysian barracuda)

Sphyraena langsar (Shortjawed barracuda)

Sphyraena lucasana (Lucas barracuda)

Sphyraena novae-hollandiae (Shortfinned barracuda; Latin name 'of New Holland', i.e. Dutch Brazil)

Sphyraena obtusata (Obtuse barracuda)

Sphyraena picudilla (Southern sennet; Latin name 'little woodpecker')

Sphyraena pinguis (Red or Brown barracuda)

Sphyraena putnamae (Sawtooth barracuda)

Sphyraena qenie (Chevron or Blackfin barracuda)

Sphyraena sphyraena (European barracuda)

Sphyraena tome

Sphyraena viridensis (Yellowmouth barracuda; Latin name 'greenish')

Sphyraena waitii

External link -

fishbase.org - FishBase info for Sphyraenidae

Sphyraenidae entry on !animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu - Animal Diversity Web

The uga.edu - Great Barracuda !PagesCategory:Perciformesda:Ba rracudade:Barracudasnl:Barracu daja:カマスpt:Sphyraenidaez h:梭鱼

Gran Canaria Diving.com - Divers Guide to Gran Canaria
Your complete guide to Gran Canaria’s best scuba diving and snorkelling. Discover the rich and amazing marine life found around the shores of this Canary Island (now a world biosphere reserve!), and why it is rated as one of the best places to dive in Europe. Find out all you need to plan your diving holiday including the top dive sites, holiday destinations and dive schools. There are several galleries of photos by top underwater photographers showing the sharks, rays and other marine life that thrives around this island.
http://www.gran-canaria-diving.com

Barracuda
Open source, servlet-based, presentation framework. Includes project mailing list, FAQ, and documentation.
http://barracuda.enhydra.org/

The University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is the oldest state-chartered university in the United States.
http://www.uga.edu/