Yellowmouth Barracuda - Sphyraena viridensis - Circling above the Um El Faroud Wreck

A school of Yellowmouth Barracuda forms a compact circling formation in open water just off the Um El Faroud wreck in Malta.

The Yellowmouth Barracuda (Sphyraena viridensis) is a large, streamlined predatory fish with an elongated body, pointed head and prominent lower jaw armed with sharp teeth. Its body is generally bluish-grey to greenish above and silvery below, with a series of dark vertical bars along the flanks that are particularly useful in distinguishing it from the European Barracuda (Sphyraena sphyraena). The two dorsal fins are widely separated and the deeply forked caudal fin provides the powerful propulsion characteristic of this fast-swimming predator. Yellowmouth Barracuda inhabit open coastal waters, reefs, rocky drop-offs and offshore structures, where they prey mainly on other fishes. Adults may occur individually, but the species also forms conspicuous schools, sometimes gathering into coordinated circular formations. It can reach approximately 128 centimetres in length and occurs from near the surface to depths of around 100 metres. This photograph captures a school circling together in the blue water just off the Um El Faroud wreck in Malta, creating a distinctive swirling formation above the wreck.