What do barracudas feed on

However when asleep, they are still alert for danger- so try not to disturb them because they could accidentally attack you! Barracuda usually can reach up to about 5 — 6 feet long and can weigh around lbs. The age of a barracuda can be measured from the number of rings produced each year in its scales.

Barracudas can live up to 14 years. Barracudas can swim over 25 mph in short bursts- they do this to overtake prey that may be trying to swim away. Because their bodies are long and slender, they can easily sneak through the reefs while hunting. The barracuda is an opportunistic predator- they feed only on other animals in surrounding water. Because barracudas grow to be very large sized fish, they have few natural predators aside form sharks, killer whales, larger barracuda, giant tuna, and dolphin.

They often camouflage near sea grass to ambush unsuspecting prey, and move quickly over 25 mph through the corals reefs in search for food. They primarily feed on smaller fish such as: snapper, grunts, mullets and bream. There is not a lot of information on the reproduction of the barracuda, but what we do know is this: female barracuda are spawn during the spring. She will release her eggs into the water which are then fertilized externally. It is believed that barracuda spawning happens between April and September.

For those people who like to eat great barracudas, ciguaterra is an issue. Ciguaterra occurs more often in large fish Grosvenor It is a debilitating illness that can result in some severe physiological changes, sometimes even death. Ciguatoxin is ingested when eating tropical and subtropical fish. Some species are more likely to be dangerous than others Paterson Due to the danger of poison, great barracuda meat is illegal to sell Food and Drug Administration For more information on poisoning from Sphyraena barracuda and other tropical fish, visit the Food and Drug Administrations web site at The Seafood Product Research Center.

It is the second largest ocean in the world after the Pacific Ocean. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria. Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons or periodic condition changes. Coral reefs are found in warm, shallow oceans with low nutrient availability.

They form the basis for rich communities of other invertebrates, plants, fish, and protists. The polyps live only on the reef surface. Because they depend on symbiotic photosynthetic algae, zooxanthellae, they cannot live where light does not penetrate. Beebe, W. New York: G. Putnams' Son's. Blaber, S. Fish and Fisheries of Tropical Estuaries. New York: Chapman and Hall.

January 27, Grosvenor, M. Wonderous World of Fishes. Washington D. Lieske, E. Moyle, P. Fishes: An Introduction to Ichthylolgy. Norman, J. A History of Fishes. New York: Hill and Wang. Paterson, S. To cite this page: Fuller, B. Disclaimer: The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe.

Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control. Sphyraena barracuda Short barracuda Facebook. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content.

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Entomology Expert. Debbie Hadley is a science educator with 25 years of experience who has written on science topics for over a decade. Updated December 13, Featured Video.

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