| Barracuda Temporal range: Early Eocene to Present[1] |
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| Great barracuda, Sphyraena barracuda, with prey | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Sphyraenidae |
| Genus: | Sphyraena Klein, 1778 |
| Species | |
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See text |
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The barracuda is a ray-finned fish known for its large size and fearsome appearance. Its body is long, fairly compressed, and covered with small, smooth scales. Some species can reach up to 1.8m in length and 30 cm in width.[2] The barracuda is a salt water fish of the genus Sphyraena, the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, and is found in tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide.
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Appearance and physical description [link]
Barracudas are elongated fish, pike-like in appearance, with prominent sharp-edged fang-like teeth, much like piranhas, that are all of different sizes which are set in sockets of their large jaws. They have large pointed heads with an under bite in many species. Their gill-covers have no spines and are covered with small scales. Their two dorsal fins are widely separated with the anterior fin having five spines, the posterior fin having one spine and nine soft rays. The posterior dorsal fin is similar in size to the anal fin and is situated above it. The lateral line is prominent and extends straight from head to tail. The spinous dorsal fin is placed above the pelvic fins and is normally retracted in a groove. The caudal fin is moderately forked with its posterior edged double-curved and is set at the end of a stout peduncle. The pectoral fins are placed low on the sides. Their swim bladder is large.
In most cases, they are dark green, dark blue, or gray on their upper body with silvery sides and chalky-white belly. Coloration varies somewhat between species. For some species, there are irregular black spots or a row of darker cross-bars on each side. Their fins may be yellowish or dusky. Barracudas live primarily in oceans, but certain species such as the Great Barracuda live in brackish water.
Some species grow quite large, such as the European barracuda, barracouta or spet (S. sphyraena), found in the Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic; the Great barracuda, picuda or becuna (S. picuda), ranging on the Atlantic coast of tropical America from North Carolina to Brazil and reaching Bermuda. Other barracuda species are found around the world. Examples are the California Barracuda (S. argentea), extending from Puget Sound southwards to Cabo San Lucas; the Indian barracuda (S. jello) and the black-finned or Commerson's barracuda (S. commersoni), from the seas of India and the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago.
Behavior [link]
Barracudas are voracious, opportunistic predators relying on surprise and short bursts of speed (up to 27 miles per hour (43 km/h))[3] to overtake their prey.
Adults of most species are more or less solitary, while young and half-grown fish frequently congregate. Barracuda prey primarily on fish (which may include some as large as themselves). They kill and consume larger prey by tearing chunks of flesh.
Barracudas and humans [link]
Like sharks, some species of barracuda are reputed to be dangerous to swimmers. Barracudas are scavengers, and may mistake snorkellers for large predators, following them in hopes of eating the remains of their prey. Swimmers have been reported being bitten by barracuda but such incidents are rare and possibly caused by poor visibility. Barracuda generally avoid muddy shallows, so attacks in surf are more likely to be by small sharks. Barracudas may mistake things that glint and shine for prey.[4] There has been a reported incident of a barracuda jumping out of water and injuring a kayaker[5], but a marine biologist at the University of Florida said the type of wound appeared to have rather been caused by a houndfish[6].
Handfeeding or touching large barracuda in general is to be avoided. Spearfishing around barracudas can also be dangerous, as they are quite capable of ripping a chunk from a wounded fish thrashing on a spear.
Diamond rings and other shiny objects have been known to catch their attention and resemble prey to them. Caution should be taken when swimming near mangrove coastlines by covering or removing such items.
As food [link]
Barracudas are popular both as food and game fish. They are most often eaten as fillets or steaks. Larger species, like the Great Barracuda, have been implicated in cases of ciguatera food poisoning.[7]
Southern Nigerians smoke them for use in soups. Smoking protects the soft flesh from disintegrating in the broth.
Species [link]
There are 27 known species:
- Sharpfin barracuda, Sphyraena acutipinnis Day, 1876.
- Guinean barracuda, Sphyraena afra Peters, 1844.
- Pacific barracuda, Sphyraena argentea Girard, 1854.
- Great barracuda, Sphyraena barracuda (Edwards in Catesby, 1771).
- Northern sennet, Sphyraena borealis DeKay, 1842.
- Yellowstripe barracuda, Sphyraena chrysotaenia Klunzinger, 1884.
- Mexican barracuda, Sphyraena ensis Jordan & Gilbert, 1882.
- Yellowtail barracuda, Sphyraena flavicauda Rüppell, 1838.
- Bigeye barracuda, Sphyraena forsteri Cuvier, 1829.
- Guachanche barracuda, Sphyraena guachancho Cuvier, 1829.
- Heller's barracuda, Sphyraena helleri Jenkins, 1901.
- Sphyraena iburiensis Doiuchi & Nakabo, 2005.
- Pelican barracuda, Sphyraena idiastes Heller & Snodgrass, 1903.
- Sphyraena intermedia Pastore, 2009[8]
- Japanese barracuda, Sphyraena japonica Cuvier, 1829.
- Pickhandle barracuda, Sphyraena jello Cuvier, 1829.
- Lucas barracuda, Sphyraena lucasana Gill, 1863.
- Australian barracuda, Sphyraena novaehollandiae Günther, 1860.
- Obtuse barracuda, Sphyraena obtusata Cuvier, 1829.
- Southern sennet, Sphyraena picudilla Poey, 1860.
- Red barracuda, Sphyraena pinguis Günther, 1874.
- Sawtooth barracuda, Sphyraena putnamae Jordan & Seale, 1905.
- Blackfin barracuda, Sphyraena qenie Klunzinger, 1870.
- European barracuda, Sphyraena sphyraena (Linnaeus, 1758).
- Sphyraena tome Fowler, 1903.
- Yellowmouth barracuda, Sphyraena viridensis Cuvier, 1829.
- Sphyraena waitii Ogilby, 1908.
Notes [link]
- ^ "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology 364: 560. 2002. https://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
- ^ Humann, P.; Deloach, N. (February 2002). Reef Fish Identification, Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas, 3rd edition. Jacksonville, Florida, USA: New World Publications, Inc.. pp. 64. ISBN 1-878348-30-2.
- ^ Reefquest Center for Shark Research. What's the Speediest Marine Creature?
- ^ Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department
- ^ Jumping barracuda injures kayaker off Florida Keys
- ^ MiamiHerald.com, 6-Oct-2010
- ^ U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Hazard, Market, Geographic and Nomenclature Information for Great Barracuda.
- ^ Michele A. Pastore (2009). "Sphyraena intermedia sp. nov. (Pisces: Sphyraenidae): a potential new species of barracuda identified from the central Mediterranean Sea.". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 89 (6): 1299–1303. DOI:10.1017/S0025315409000575.
References [link]
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Sphyraenidae" in FishBase. January 2006 version.
- Labat Jean-Baptiste (1663–1738) Nouveau voyage Isles de l'Amerique, contenant l'histoire naturelle...l'origine, les mour, la religion Paris 1742.
- Norman JR, F.L.S. and Fraser, FC, D.Sc., F.L.S.Field Book of Giant Fishes G.P. Putnam's Sons New York 1949.
- Rochefort Charles D. (1605–1683) Histoire naturelle et morale des illes Antilles de l'Amerique.
- Sloane Hans Sir (1660–1753) A voyage to the islands of Madera, Barbados, Nieves, S. Christophers and Jamaica London, Printed by BM for the author, 1707-1725.
External links [link]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sphyraenidae |
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Look up Barracuda in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- Great Barracuda page on website of the Florida Museum of National History.
- Sphyraenidae entry on Animal Diversity Web.¨
- Prof. photos of Barracudas in Photo Gallery
https://wn.com/Barracuda
Barracuda (TV series)
Barracuda is an Australian television drama series set to broadcast on the ABC in 2016. The series is based on the novel Barracuda, the 2013 novel by Australian author Christos Tsiolkas, which explores a brutal clash of cultures, dreams and expectations and the relentless demands we place on our young athletes, their families, friends, schools and coaches.
Synopsis
Danny Kelly is a talented swimmer attends a prestigious Melbourne private school on a sporting scholarship. Working class, half Greek and half Scottish, he cops his fair share of harassment from the privileged students. Danny yearns to win swimming gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. He is taken under the wing of highly regarded coach, Frank Torma and develops a friendship/rivalry with teammate Martin Taylor which inspire Danny to become Australia's youngest swimming champion.
Barracuda is written by Blake Ayshford and Belinda Chayko, directed by Robert Connolly. It is produced by Tony Ayres and Amanda Higgs with Christos Tsiolkas as Associate Producer. The series is a Matchbox Pictures production in association with ABC TV, Screen Australia and Film Victoria.
Barracuda (1978 film)
Barracuda is a 1978 American film about a small Florida coastal town that is menaced by chemically induced and highly aggressive barracuda fish. The cast included Wayne Crawford, Jason Evers, Roberta Leighton, Cliff Emmich, William Kerwin and Bert Freed. It was directed by Harry Kerwin, with the underwater sequences handled by Wayne Crawford.
The film was shot on location in Pompano Beach, Florida and Fort Lauderdale.
Plot
A top secret government experiment leads to fatal barracuda attacks on the beaches of a small coastal town formerly renowned for its lobster. A marine biologist (Wayne Crawford) and sheriff (William Kerwin) uncover a plot involving a mentally unstable former war-medic (Evers) pioneering research into hyperglycemia and the effect on human behavior.
References
External links
Uranus (film)
Uranus is a 1990 French comedy-drama film with Gérard Depardieu about post-World War II recovery in a small French village, as the controlling French Communist Party tries to dispose of Pétain loyalists.
It was directed and written by Claude Berri and Arlette Langmann, based on a novel by Marcel Aymé. The film was entered into the 41st Berlin International Film Festival.
Cast
References
External links
Uranus (EP)
Uranus is Shellac Record #2, a two song 7" on Touch and Go Records. It was released in 1993 on vinyl format only. It is believed that it was recorded at the same time as their first release, The Rude Gesture: A Pictorial History. As their first release had printed liner notes listing the microphones used during the recording, this release listed details about the recording tape, tape machines, and mastering equipment used.
Track listing
Side A
Side B
Credits
References
The Planets
The Planets, Op. 32, is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst.
From its premiere to the present day, the suite has been enduringly popular, influential, widely performed and frequently recorded. The work was not heard in a complete public performance, however, until some years after it was completed. Although there were four performances between September 1918 and October 1920, they were all either private (the first performance, in London) or incomplete (two others in London and one in Birmingham). The premiere was at the Queen's Hall on 29 September 1918, conducted by Holst's friend Adrian Boult before an invited audience of about 250 people. The first complete public performance was finally given in London by Albert Coates conducting the London Symphony Orchestra on 15 November 1920.
