Barracudas in the Pacific Ocean

In the Pacific Ocean’s waters, many schools of barracudas can be found but not easily; these sleek and evil-looking fish tend to be very elusive in their whereabouts. They belong to the order ‘Perciformes’ and are commonly called ‘Barracudas’. Barracudas present in the Pacific originate from the Sphyraena which is a Latin word literally meaning ‘pike-like fish’. These fish have very sleek and efficient bodies which add to their reputation of being one of the most dangerous and unpredictable fish in the sea. They have long and graceful bodies which can move with surprising speed through the water. Barracudas have a large mouth and very sharp eyes along with elongated fangs for teeth. Their appearance scares most fish along with humans underwater for scuba diving. The jaws of the barracudas are very strong which helps them become one of the most dangerous predators in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The lower part of the barracuda’s jaw protrudes slightly more than the upper one and the sharp, deadly teeth framing it have helped in gaining the fish the nickname ‘Tiger of the Sea’.

Unique Features of Barracudas

Ever wondered how barracudas can speed through the water so fast? The reason is a ‘fork tailed fin’ which increases their speed to almost double that of the other fish. The dorsal fins of the barracudas are also separated extensively. Barracudas do not possess any eyelids which is a common feature in most fish. Some scientists suggest that if barracudas are moving exceptionally slowly through the water, they may actually be asleep while floating. But just like dogs sleep with one ear cocked for threats, barracudas are also aware of any danger even while being asleep. Barracudas are violent fish by nature and if awakened suddenly from a nap, may react in a very aggressive manner. Barracudas are usually silver and gray in color, although the underside of their body is white in color. Their fins are dark purplish blue in color and may have white tips. There are many different species of the barracudas and their respective sizes depend on their type. Barracudas mostly inhabit areas around and the Pacific Ocean. Actually, the Pacific is labeled as one of the most famous sites for viewing barracudas all over the world.

Studying Behavior of Barracudas

Barracudas usually travel in schools but when hunting, most of them prefer doing in on an individual basis. Some scientists researching behavior of barracudas have found out that the younger fish my collect into almost a thousand barracudas and then travel in a school together! The best part about traveling this way is that all the fish have some measure of protection from other predators roaming the sea. Behaving in a very intelligent and self protective way, the school of barracudas starts making torpedoes around an attacker if he dares to attack the school. They keep constantly moving and refusing to let the enemy fixate on a specific barracuda. This saves almost all the fish and leaves the predator highly confused which in turn results in the fish being left alone. People who don’t dive always regard barracudas as highly dangerous fish but actually, there has only rarely ever been an attack on humans by a barracuda.

Video for Barracudas

References

https://www.dive-the-world.com/creatures-barracuda.php