Yellowmouth Barracuda - Sphyraena viridensis - Close Encounter above the Seagrass

Yellowmouth Barracuda pass close to the camera above a Posidonia seagrass meadow at Cirkewwa Reef, Malta, accompanied by other Mediterranean reef fish.

The Yellowmouth Barracuda (Sphyraena viridensis) has a long, slender and fusiform body with a conical pointed 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 fast swimming in open water. Yellowmouth Barracuda are pelagic predators that feed mainly on fishes, as well as cephalopods and crustaceans. They may occur individually or form 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 captures several Yellowmouth Barracuda passing at close range above a Mediterranean seagrass meadow at Cirkewwa Reef in Malta, with other reef fish sharing the scene.