Yellowmouth Barracuda - Sphyraena viridensis - A Silver River above Cirkewwa Reef

A vast school of Yellowmouth Barracuda sweeps across the shallow waters of Cirkewwa Reef, Malta, forming a flowing silver formation above the reef.

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 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 mainly on fishes, together with cephalopods and crustaceans. They may occur individually but are also capable of forming very 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 an exceptionally large school sweeping diagonally through the shallow blue water above Cirkewwa Reef in Malta, creating the appearance of a flowing silver river of barracudas stretching across the Mediterranean seascape.