Yellowmouth Barracuda - Sphyraena viridensis - Twilight Gathering at Cirkewwa Reef

A dense school of Yellowmouth Barracuda gathers in the fading light of an evening dive at Cirkewwa Reef, Malta.

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 characteristic dark vertical bars mark the 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 mainly on fishes, together with cephalopods and crustaceans. They may occur alone or assemble into large coordinated schools around reefs, drop-offs and coastal waters. The species occurs from the surface to about 100 metres depth and can reach approximately 128 centimetres in length. This photograph captures a large school during an evening dive at Cirkewwa Reef in Malta, the barracudas gathering densely in the darkening blue water as the remaining ambient light glints across their streamlined bodies.