Yellowmouth Barracuda - Sphyraena viridensis - Two Hunters in Open Blue Water

Two Yellowmouth Barracuda travel side by side through the open blue water at Cirkewwa Reef, Malta, their striped flanks clearly visible.

The Yellowmouth Barracuda (Sphyraena viridensis) has a long, slender and fusiform body with a pointed hydrodynamic snout, elongated mouth and projecting lower jaw armed with sharp canine-like teeth. Its upper body is generally dark bluish-grey to greenish and becomes paler below, while numerous distinctive dark vertical bars cross the upper flanks and extend below the lateral line toward the front of the body. The two dorsal fins are widely separated and the deeply forked tail provides powerful propulsion for rapid swimming. Yellowmouth Barracuda are pelagic predators that feed mainly on fishes, together with cephalopods and crustaceans. They may occur alone, in small groups or gather into larger schools around reefs, drop-offs and open coastal waters. The species occurs from the surface to about 100 metres depth and can reach approximately 128 centimetres in length. This photograph captures two Yellowmouth Barracuda travelling closely together through the open blue water at Cirkewwa Reef in Malta, with their streamlined silhouettes standing out against the uncluttered Mediterranean background.