The barracuda (sphyraena barracuda) is a large carnivorous marine fish of the Sphyrenidae family. It is a coastal species of warm seas, common in the Caribbean, Florida and the Bahamas; it roams in open water between the surface and a depth of 30 m and it is very recognizable with its more or less numerous black spots on a fusiform body which can reach 2 m in length for a weight of 50 kg. Its dorsal part is generally green, gray or dark blue, its sides are silvery and its belly is withish. Its dorsal and anal fins are placed symmetrically on the rear part of the body. They can be yellow or of a dark shade. Its head sports a mouth with a prominent lower jaw and sharp teeth. Its morphology makes it an excellent swimmer capable of lightning strikes. It can make short bursts of speed over 40 km/h.

     The barracuda is a hunting fish which feeds mainly on living prey, fish and cephalopods. It is a very fast swimmer which produces lightning attacks on its prey. Small specimens of anchovy or sardins are swallowed in one go, but the barracuda also attacks much larger prey, sometimes of equal size (sometimes small barracudas of the same size as the swimming fish used as a fishing lure). Thus, a one kilo mulletfish or even a nice squid is not immune from an attack by a small barracuda of an equivalent weight.

     Adults are solitary and to be found in all coastal environments: reefs, external slopes, lagoons, seagrass beds, rocky or sandy areas while juveniles often stay in school and are fond of estuaries and mangroves.