---
title: "What the sources say about the Great Barracuda | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "39 claims from the Great Barracuda profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/great-barracuda-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/great-barracuda/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Great Barracuda (*Sphyraena barracuda*)

> 39 claims from the Great Barracuda profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Great Barracuda](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/great-barracuda/)

## Great Barracuda. Florida Museum of Natural History, Discover Fishes.

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/sphyraena-barracuda/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A long, tube-shaped hunter with two sets of razor-sharp teeth that chops big fish in half. | The great barracuda has a large mouth containing two sets of razor-sharp teeth (note: tagline; chopping in half is the next claim) |
| a large gape and very sharp teeth let them feed on big fish by chopping them in half | Barracudas have a large gape and very sharp teeth, enabling them to feed on large fishes by chopping them in half. |
| Nearshore reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves in tropical and subtropical seas | Great barracuda commonly occur in nearshore coral reefs, seagrasses, and mangroves. (note: stats.habitat) |
| Great barracuda live in nearshore tropical and subtropical seas worldwide | Occurring worldwide in near shore tropical and subtropical seas (30°N – 30°S) |
| the western Atlantic from Massachusetts to Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, the eastern Atlantic, the Indo-Pacific and the Red Sea | the great barracuda is common in the western Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts (U.S.) to Brazil. It is also found in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea as well as the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Indo-Pacific, and the Red Sea. |
| Fish such as jacks, grunts, snappers and mullets | fishes such as jacks, grunts, groupers, snappers, small tunas, mullets, killifishes, herrings, and anchovies (note: stats.diet) |
| It has two sets of teeth: a row of small razor-sharp ones along the outside of the jaw, and a larger set of dagger-like teeth inside them. | There is a row of small razor-sharp teeth along the outside of the jaw with a larger set of dagger-like teeth within these. |
| the top speed of the species is estimated at up to 36 mph (58 km/h) | it is estimated that top speed for the species may be as fast as 36 mph (58 kph) |
| The great barracuda's body plan is designed for speed | The body plan of the great barracuda is designed for speed |
| Barracuda are generally active by day and find prey largely by sight. | Generally a diurnal fish, great barracuda locate their prey largely by sight. |
| They are opportunistic, feeding at any depth in the water. | An opportunistic predator, great barracuda feed throughout the water column. |
| They tend to be solitary, though small groups sometimes gather over reefs and sandy bottoms. | Barracudas tend to be solitary but are sometimes found in small aggregations over reefs and sandy bottoms. |
| Young fish grow up among mangroves and seagrass, then move to deeper reefs in their second year. | Juveniles mature amongst mangroves and seagrass beds, habitats that offer cover from predators. During the second year of life, barracuda move to deeper reef habitats. |
| The menu includes jacks, grunts, groupers, snappers, small tunas and mullets | fishes such as jacks, grunts, groupers, snappers, small tunas, mullets |
| the hook-and-line record as a fish 1.7 meters (5.5 feet) long and 44 kg (103 lb), and says the species is reported to reach 2 meters and 50 kg | The record for a hook and line caught great barracuda is 1.7 meters (5.5 feet), 44 kg (103 lbs) and the species is reported to attain a size of 2 meters, 50 kg. |
| any barracuda over 1.5 meters counts as very large | Any barracuda over 4.8 feet (1.5 m) in length can be considered very large. |
| Scale analysis of large specimens shows they live at least 14 years. | Based on scale analysis of large specimens, great barracuda have a lifespan of at least 14 years. |
| Ciguatera is an illness linked to toxins made by tiny marine dinoflagellates that grow attached to marine algae. | Ciguatoxins are produced by marine dinoflagellates that grow attached to marine algae |
| Plant-eating fish may swallow them by accident, and large fish-eating reef fish at the top of the food chain become reservoirs for the highest amounts of toxin. | may be incidentally ingested by herbivorous fishes. Large piscivorous reef dwelling fishes occupying the apex of the food chain become reservoirs for the highest amounts of ciguatoxin |
| The Florida Museum says the great barracuda has been tied to ciguatera cases in parts of its range | The great barracuda has been implicated in cases of ciguatera poisoning within certain areas of its range. |
| Attacks are rare | Attacks on humans by great barracuda are rare. |
| and so are deaths | Fatalities from barracuda attacks are rare. |
| it is more often than not because the fish is trying to steal a catch from a spearfisher or has mistaken a shiny object, such as a diving knife, for a glinting fish. It usually comes as one very quick strike. | When attacks occur more often than not it is because a barracuda attempts to steal a fish from spearfishers or mistakenly interprets a shiny object, such as a diving knife, for the glint of a shiny fish. Such incidents usually consist of one very quick strike |
| The species is reported to reach 2 meters and 50 kg. | the species is reported to attain a size of 2 meters, 50 kg |
| The hook-and-line record measured 1.7 meters (5.5 feet) and weighed 44 kg (103 lb) | The record for a hook and line caught great barracuda is 1.7 meters (5.5 feet), 44 kg (103 lbs) |
| Larger prey is cut into pieces to be swallowed separately. | larger prey is cut into pieces to be swallowed separately |
| The great barracuda is a long, tube-shaped fish with a pointed snout filled with two rows of teeth. | This long, tubular fish has a very pointed snout filled with two rows of teeth |

## Sphyraena barracuda summary page. FishBase.

https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Sphyraena-barracuda.html

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| FishBase lists a maximum of 200 cm total length and calls 140 cm common. | Max length : 200 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7251 ); common length : 140 cm TL male/unsexed |
| FishBase notes it has not been reported as poisonous in the eastern Atlantic. | it has not been reported to be poisonous in the eastern Atlantic |

## Grubich, Rice & Westneat (2008). Functional morphology of bite mechanics in the great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda). Zoology.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.zool.2007.05.003

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A scissor-like bite that cuts prey in two | providing for a scissor-like bite (note: stats.superpower) |
| quick repeated bites with short head shakes cut the prey in two | rapid repeated bites and short lateral headshakes result in cutting the prey in two |
| the fish hit prey at the corner of the mouth | prey are impacted at the corner of the mouth during capture |
| Large teeth on a bone at the back of the jaw work against the lower jaw like the blades of scissors | A robust palatine bone embedded with large dagger-like teeth opposes the mandible at the rear of the jaws providing for a scissor-like bite |
| predicted bite force at the corner of the mouth reached as high as 58 newtons in large fish | Predicted dynamic force output of the lower jaw nearly doubles from the tip to the corner of the mouth reaching as high as 58 N in large individuals. |
| At the rear of the jaws, a sturdy bone set with big dagger-like teeth meets the lower jaw in a scissor-like bite. | A robust palatine bone embedded with large dagger-like teeth opposes the mandible at the rear of the jaws providing for a scissor-like bite |
| rapid repeated bites and short sideways head shakes cut the prey in two | rapid repeated bites and short lateral headshakes result in cutting the prey in two |
| The study predicted bite force at the jaw's corner as high as 58 newtons in large fish. | reaching as high as 58 N in large individuals |
| cuts prey in two with quick repeated bites and short shakes of the head | rapid repeated bites and short lateral headshakes result in cutting the prey in two (note: vibe.reason) |

## Aiken et al. (2015). Sphyraena barracuda. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T190399A115319634.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2015-4.rlts.t190399a15603115.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: stats.conservationStatus; assessed 2013, category read through GBIF's copy of the Red List) |