Family SphyraenidaeBarracudas Selected Characters: Body elongate; mouth large with fanglike teeth; spinous and soft-rayed dorsal fins widely separated. The 20 species of barracuda typically occur in tropical and subtropical seas. Young barracudas often form schools, while large adults are usually solitary. These fishes can reach lengths of about 2 meters. Our species, the California Barracuda, feeds on fish and is eaten by marine mammals. Unlike most barracudas, this species does not seem to attack humans. Females may spawn several times during the summer breeding season, producing between 40,000 and nearly 500,000 pelagic eggs per spawning. Barracudas are not common in Puget Sound; juveniles are the most likely individuals to occur here. Puget Sound Species Sphyraena argentea California Barracuda |