Great Barracuda

The great barracuda is a large predatory fish found in tropical and subtropical coastal waters worldwide, particularly common around coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Indo-Pacific regions, with adults capable of reaching nearly two metres in length. It has a long, torpedo-shaped body built for bursts of speed, a protruding lower jaw and rows of large, prominent teeth that give it a fearsome appearance, and it is an ambush predator, using sudden acceleration to strike smaller fish, its primary prey. Great barracuda are often seen hovering motionless in open water or near structure before launching a rapid attack, and their curiosity and attraction to shiny, reflective objects, such as jewelry or fishing lures, occasionally leads to encounters with divers and swimmers, though unprovoked attacks on humans are rare. In some regions, larger great barracuda can accumulate ciguatera toxin from their diet of reef fish, making them potentially unsafe to eat despite being a popular sport fish elsewhere.