Yellowmouth Barracuda - Sphyraena viridensis - Gliding Low over Cirkewwa Reef

Two Yellowmouth Barracuda glide just above the reef at Cirkewwa, Malta, their striped bodies passing close to the rocky seabed and marine vegetation.

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 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 swimming. Yellowmouth Barracuda are pelagic predators feeding mainly on fishes, together with cephalopods and crustaceans, and may occur individually, in small groups or in much larger schools around reefs 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 two Yellowmouth Barracuda gliding close above the rocky reef at Cirkewwa in Malta, their elongated striped bodies standing out against the darker seabed and surrounding marine vegetation.