Yellowmouth Barracuda - Sphyraena viridensis - Close Pass over the Seagrass

A Yellowmouth Barracuda passes extremely close above the seagrass at Cirkewwa Reef, Malta, revealing its distinctive vertical bars and streamlined predatory profile.

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 rows of 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 species is a pelagic predator feeding mainly on fishes, together with cephalopods and crustaceans, and may occur individually or in schools around reefs, drop-offs and coastal waters. Yellowmouth Barracuda occur from the surface to about 100 metres depth and can reach approximately 128 centimetres in length. This photograph captures an exceptionally close pass above the seagrass at Cirkewwa Reef in Malta, allowing the fish's large eye, pointed head, streamlined body and characteristic vertical markings to be seen in remarkable detail against the green underwater meadow.