Yellowmouth Barracuda - Sphyraena viridensis - Cruising over the Shallow Reef

Yellowmouth Barracuda cruise above the shallow rocky reef at Cirkewwa, Malta, accompanied by several other Mediterranean reef fish.

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 flanks and extend below the lateral line on the forward part 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 or form coordinated 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 several Yellowmouth Barracuda cruising just above the shallow rocky reef at Cirkewwa in Malta, with other Mediterranean reef fish sharing the sunlit coastal habitat.