Yellowmouth Barracuda - Sphyraena viridensis - Lined Up in the Blue

Yellowmouth Barracuda form an unusually orderly line above Cirkewwa Reef in Malta, their streamlined bodies suspended against the open blue water.

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 mark 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 movement through open water. Yellowmouth Barracuda are pelagic predators that feed mainly on fishes, together with cephalopods and crustaceans. They may occur alone or form coordinated groups and 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 several Yellowmouth Barracuda arranged in an unusually orderly, almost parallel formation above Cirkewwa Reef in Malta, their slender bodies standing out clearly against the deep blue Mediterranean water.