The Great Barracudas are a large fish. Its mature specimen grows to around 60 to 100cms in length and weights 2.5 to 9.0 kgs. Some Great Barracuda species have also been recorded to grow to 1.5 m and weigh more than 23 kgs.
The Great Barracuda is mostly found in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Western Atlantic and in the tropical waters. These are commonly found in the Pacific Ocean in Indonesia, Fiji, and Malaysia, in the Indian Ocean in Thailand, Burma, and the Maldives and in the Caribbean. The range of the fish in the Western Atlantic is from Massachusetts, Bermuda to Brazil and the Caribbean. In the Eastern Atlantic, the range is from St. Paul’s Rocks and Sao Tome Island to Sierra Leone. Also, they range from the Red Sea, eastern Africa and until Hawaii in the Indo Pacific region.
The Great Barracuda occurs near the seagrasses, nearshore coral reefs and the mangroves. They may also stay in the open ocean. The Great Barracuda lives near or at the surface.
The species mostly stay single or be in small groups in the sandy bottoms and reefs. The juvenile stays in the seagrass beds and the mangroves. These habitats offer them protection from the predators. In the second year of their lives, the Great Barracuda move to the reef habitats that are deeper. The adults avoid the brackish water but the juveniles can be seen in the areas where fresh water is available.
The Great Barracuda is among the few predators that enjoy a position at the top of the food chain. This is because of their sharp eyesight and their strong jaws. The fishes are carnivorous and they feed on snapper, grunts, mullets, and bream. At times, they may also feed on marine invertebrates and on shrimps. These fishesare cannibalistic in nature which means that they may also feed on their own young ones.
The fishes have sharp teeth and a large gape that lets them feed on large fishes. They do so by chopping the fish into half. The Great Barracuda will locate the prey by sight. These fishes are also able to prey easily because of the body plan that lets them move at top speed.