🐟 Great barracuda vs Sailfish 🐟
The sailfish is about twice as long as the great barracuda. The sailfish is a bit heavier than the great barracuda.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐟 Great barracuda | 🐟 Sailfish |
|---|---|---|
| Size The sailfish is about twice as long as the great barracuda. | 6.6 ft2 m1 | 12 ft3.6 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the great barracuda yet. | no checked number yet | 68 mph109 km/h3 |
| Weight The sailfish is a bit heavier than the great barracuda. | 110 lb50 kg1 | 128 lb58 kg4 |
| Lives We don't have a checked number for the sailfish yet. | 18 years18 years1 | no checked number yet |
| Eats Both eat fish. | fish, squid and sometimes shrimp | small fish such as sardines and anchovies, and squid |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | warm shallow seas near the surface, in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans | the warm Pacific and Indian oceans |
Which one? Great barracuda or sailfish
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the great barracuda yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed.
9 things to know about Great barracuda vs Sailfish
- The great barracuda: A long, slim fish of warm shallow seas.
- The sailfish: A speedy fish with a tall back sail and a long, pointed bill.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are fish.
- The sailfish is about twice as long as the great barracuda: 2 against 1.
- The sailfish is a bit heavier than the great barracuda. That is 1 for the great barracuda and 4 for the sailfish.
- Both eat fish. The great barracuda eats fish, squid and sometimes shrimp; the sailfish eats small fish such as sardines and anchovies, and squid.
- The great barracuda lives in warm shallow seas near the surface, in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The sailfish lives in the warm Pacific and Indian oceans. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The great barracuda: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 5
- The sailfish: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 6
Wow facts
🐟 Great barracuda
- A great barracuda lives in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.
- It stays near the surface in shallow water.
- It eats fish, squid and sometimes shrimp.
🐟 Sailfish
- Its big sail folds down flat into a groove on its back.
- Hunting sailfish flash bright stripes on their sides.
- Sailfish sometimes work together as a team to hunt.
Questions kids ask about Great barracuda and Sailfish
Which is bigger, great barracuda or sailfish?
The sailfish is about twice as long as the great barracuda: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, great barracuda or sailfish?
The sailfish is a bit heavier than the great barracuda. That is 1 for the great barracuda and 4 for the sailfish.
What do great barracuda and sailfish eat?
Both eat fish. The great barracuda eats fish, squid and sometimes shrimp; the sailfish eats small fish such as sardines and anchovies, and squid.
Where do great barracuda and sailfish live?
The great barracuda lives in warm shallow seas near the surface, in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The sailfish lives in the warm Pacific and Indian oceans. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do great barracudas eat sailfish?
The great barracuda eats fish, squid and sometimes shrimp. Sailfish are not in that list, which comes from its page. And the sailfish is about twice as long as the great barracuda.
Do sailfish eat great barracudas?
The sailfish eats small fish such as sardines and anchovies, and squid. Great barracudas are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, great barracuda or sailfish?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They can share the same kind of place, and real animals mostly keep out of each other's way. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/barracuda-vs-sailfish
Where these numbers come from
- FishBase, Sphyraena barracuda (great barracuda), checked 10 November 2026.
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean (Istiophorus platypterus), checked 30 October 2026.
- NOAA National Ocean Service, Ocean Facts feed ('What is the fastest fish in the ocean?'), checked 30 October 2026.
- NOAA Fishery Bulletin 78(3), 1980 (Beardsley and others, Atlantic sailfish), checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.