Great barracuda
Sphyraena barracuda
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Great barracuda
- Scientific
- Sphyraena barracuda
- Dhivehi
- No recorded Dhivehi name
- Maximum size
- Up to about 2 m (total length); commonly 1.4 m; max. published weight 50 kg
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 0 to 100 m (usually 3 to 30 m); also enters brackish water
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2013
Description
A large, long-bodied predator with a jutting lower jaw full of fang-like teeth, a silvery body with dark bars on the upper side and scattered black blotches on the lower rear flank. Adults often hang motionless near the surface or around reefs, then strike prey with a sudden burst of speed. Juveniles live in sheltered lagoons. Large individuals can carry ciguatera toxin.
In the Maldives
Recorded from the Maldives on the FishBase country checklist (status: present). No Maldives-specific information was found in MRS (1997) or the other sources reviewed, and no Dhivehi name is recorded.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Sphyraena-barracuda.html
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Gran_barracuda_(Sphyraena_barracuda),_Yeda,_Arabia_Saudita,
Dhivehi name source: No Dhivehi name found in MRS 1997 (available chapters), FishBase (country: Maldives) or Dhivehi Wikipedia.