Johann Julius Walbaum first described the great barracuda for science in 1792. There are more than 20 species of barracuda, and the great barracuda is the best known. The name Sphyraena is Latin for a pike-like fish. Fishermen once thought barracudas were closely related to pikes because their bodies are shaped alike.
In Hawaii the great barracuda is called kaku, and it was also known as 'opelu mama. Traditional Hawaiian fishermen called in the kaku to help them. With a barracuda near, the 'opelu (mackerel scad) bunched up in a ball, which made them easier to net. The kaku was hand-fed part of the catch.
A great barracuda has a long, slim body shaped like a torpedo. The biggest great barracudas grow to about 2 meters (6.5 feet) long. It is dark on top and silver and white underneath. It hunts by ambush: it lies in wait and then surprises its prey. The Florida Museum of Natural History estimates that its top speed may be as fast as 36 mph (58 km/h). It is an estimate for the species, not a measured speed.
Great barracudas eat jacks, grunts, groupers, snappers, small tunas, mullets, killifishes, herrings and anchovies, among other fish. A barracuda swallows small fish whole and cuts bigger fish into pieces to swallow. Some of its teeth face backward, which helps it keep its grip on slippery prey. The great barracuda is also parasitized by other fish, including live sharksuckers.
A young great barracuda is recognizable as a miniature adult at about 1.3 cm long. It spends the rest of its first year in mangrove and seagrass habitats. By its second year, it moves from its shallow nursery to deeper reef. A male is about 2 years old, and a female about 4, when they can first breed. A great barracuda does not look after its eggs. Great barracudas live at least 14 years.
Scientists tagged two large great barracuda (101 and 104 cm) off South Florida with pop-up satellite tags for 15 days. One traveled at least 471 km in a straight line, and the other at least 1231 km. The two dived to depths of 145.2 m and 186.9 m for short periods, and both used deeper water at night.
In an acoustic tracking study of 32 great barracuda at Buck Island Reef National Monument in the U.S. Virgin Islands, three analysis methods showed high site fidelity, a barracuda keeping to its own area. The same fish also made less frequent broad exploratory movements.
Words to know
- kaku: Hawaiian barracuda
- ambush: wait and surprise
- parasitized: lived on by
- fidelity: keeping faith
- acoustic: using sound
