Yellowmouth Barracuda - Sphyraena viridensis - Coming Back for Another Look

A curious Yellowmouth Barracuda turns toward the camera at Cirkewwa Reef, Malta, while smaller reef fish drift through the blue water around it.

The Yellowmouth Barracuda (Sphyraena viridensis) has a long, slender and fusiform body with a conical, 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 through open water. Yellowmouth Barracuda are pelagic predators that feed primarily on fishes, together with cephalopods and crustaceans. They may occur alone, in small groups or in much larger schools around reefs, drop-offs and coastal waters. The species occurs from the surface to around 100 metres depth and can reach approximately 128 centimetres in length. This photograph captures a solitary Yellowmouth Barracuda turning upward and toward the camera at Cirkewwa Reef in Malta, creating the impression of a curious fish returning for another look while smaller reef fish surround it in the blue Mediterranean water.