Yellowmouth Barracuda - Sphyraena viridensis - Inside the School at Cirkewwa Reef

A diver’s-eye view from inside a school of Yellowmouth Barracuda at Cirkewwa Reef, Malta, with striped predators passing in every direction among other reef fish.

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 bluish-grey to greenish and becomes paler below, while numerous distinctive 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 feeding mainly on fishes, together with cephalopods and crustaceans. They may occur individually but frequently form large coordinated 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 was taken from within a large school above Cirkewwa Reef in Malta, with barracudas passing on all sides of the camera while other Mediterranean reef fish move among them, creating an immersive view of life inside the school.