The mouth is pointed like a shuttle
The chin is wide and the fangs are like wolves
Jianghu people call it the tiger in the sea
/ Seawolf /
Barracuda
Animal kingdom Animalia
Chordata
Actinopterygii
Mackerel order Scombriformes
Sphyraenidae
Sphyraena
Currently, 28 species are recorded
introduce
Barracuda , also spelled Barracuda or barracuda , is a species of barracuda in the family Barracuda . It can reach a length of nearly 2 meters and is fierce and aggressive. Their bodies are long cylindrical, with a pointed mouth and a shuttle-like head, two dorsal fins far apart, five spinners in the front dorsal fin, and a spinner and nine radial lines in the dorsal fin, which is the same size as the fin and is located directly above the fin. There are distinct lateral lines on both sides of the body, which run from the head to the tail. Because of their large jaws and protruding fangs like wolf's teeth, they are also called sea wolves. There are currently 28 known recorded species of barracuda. It inhabits lagoons, coastal reef areas or bays, is active during the day, is solitary, and is a migratory carnivorous fish that feeds on fish, cephalopods, etc.
distribution
It is mainly found in tropical and subtropical waters, more often near coral reefs and sea meadows, most barracuda live in the ocean, but some species of barracuda can survive in brackish water, such as the Great Barracuda.
reproduction
Males are 2 to 3 years old and females are 3 to 4 years old, and they regularly form large flocks to harbors and estuaries to spawn every year, and the hatched small fry float to the near-shore estuary with the tide and stay at the confluence of brackish water for feeding and growth. The mating season is usually spring, male and female fish release sperm and eggs in the water, eggs and sperm combined with the sperm in the water to form fertilized eggs, females can lay 1,000 eggs at a time, but few eventually survive and grow into adulthood. Sea wolves can live for up to 10-15 years, and the most amazing and amazing thing is that we can judge their age by the number of scales and rings on their otoliths, like the annual rings of a tree.
Behavior and habits
Swift predator - "Tiger in the Sea"
Sea wolves are usually found near reefs that are easy to hunt, and may be individual or in groups. Sea wolves' two broad dorsal fins and forked tail give them strong forward momentum. They are ferocious predators, hunting in ambushes, using high speed to attack their prey, and some of their prey are as big or even larger than them. Sea wolves are competitive by nature, often competing with other fish such as mackerel for prey, and sometimes even with dolphins. Their prey includes Czech fish, grouper, small tuna, medaka, etc. Barracuda will simply and rudely bite them in half with lightning speed, or tear their prey into pieces in an instant. The sea wolf also got the nickname "Tiger in the Sea".
△ The picture shows a Great Barracuda, a giant wolf among sea wolves, which can grow to nearly 2 meters in length
There is a case where sea wolves occasionally attack people with human limbs as fish, just like sharks attack people, they mistake snorkeling or swimming people for prey, and the glittering bling bling ornaments worn by people, such as diamond rings, can easily attract the attention of sea wolves, which will make them mistakenly think that those bling blings are the light reflected by the scales on the fish in the sunlight, and the food is ahead... Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the fact that before going into the water, take off those diamond rings and large gold chains.
The sea wolf's terrifying teeth look like this:
△ Image source: Louis Cahill
△ Image source: Cathleen Bester
Image source: Beatriz Martín Villalba
Sea wolves turn their bodies silvery white when they ambush prey at the bottom of the water near the surface of the water.
"Stealth" is illuminated by the sun, making it impossible for underwater prey to find them, and sometimes sea wolves will jump out of the water to hunt.
△ Image source: Christopher Swann
A solitary who excels at teamwork
Sea wolves in different seas behave in very different ways, but their biggest common denominator is "living alone," even though we often encounter swarms of sea wolves when diving. Sea wolves are more active during the day and hunt for a late night snack at night. Sea wolves mostly gather during the day, mostly teenagers, hunting together or working in teams to fend off invaders, and as they grow up to be on their own, they go their separate ways, especially at night. This is why we often say that lone wolves are not in trouble, because lone wolves are usually strong adult fish with self-protection ability, the leader of the wolf pack, when we see lone wolves underwater, they are often in a state of solitary hunting, once they determine that what is in front of them is food, they will quickly attack without hesitation.
△Image source: animalsake.com
Sea wolves are so powerful that adult sea wolves have few natural predators, but they are occasionally attacked by sharks and killer whales. When attacked by an enemy, all the fish in the sea wolf pack will work together to reflect the light with their bodies, and the flashing scales will blind the invader, and then the fish will wait for the opportunity to escape. Sea wolves can also be arranged in spectacular formations, and for sharks with not very good eyes, a huge "body" of hundreds of sea wolves may be mistaken for a dangerous and unpleasant "super big fish", so the formation of the wolf pack is a super effective means of defense for sea wolves.
Excellent eyesight, what you see is what you eat under the sea food
When encountering a diver, sea wolves will swim away on horseback and react very quickly, while sharks will react more slowly. In fact, this is because the shark's vision is weak, observing the changes in the surrounding things mainly depends on a keen sense of smell, while the sea wolf relies on a good eye, as for the sense of smell, it is not good. That is, when you are stared at by a sea wolf, it is really looking at you, looking up and down to determine whether you are a delicacy in front of you.
Sea wolves are thorough underwater foodies, and their menu is rich or very single, that is, fish, fish, fish! Of course, I occasionally catch some squid and eat it as a snack.
A swimmer with his own small motor
Don't look at the sea wolves usually swing their long bodies and tails to swim around slowly, really to the critical moment, such as hunting and escaping, their explosive power is extremely strong, instantaneous swimming speed can be as high as 35 miles per hour, comparable to the gray mackerel shark, it is simply a small motor. Of course, they can't maintain such a fast swimming speed over long distances.
△ Image source: Tobias Bernhard Raff
The larger the sea wolf, the more poisonous it is
Some toxins from benthic algae (known primarily toxic Gambian algae) slowly accumulate in the body of small algae-eating fish through the food chain, and larger fish will accumulate more toxins in the body after hunting these small fish containing toxins. Small sea wolves are safe for human consumption, while larger sea wolves, because they may hunt larger fish that contain more toxins, so that more toxins accumulate in their bodies, so the larger the sea wolves are likely to be more poisonous. Although this toxin is not fatal, it is really not easy to mess with. Toxins can cause muscle and joint pain, skin irritation, and even sensations of hot and cold in the body, and symptoms can last for weeks or even months. And there is no way to tell if sea wolves contain this toxin, and this toxin will not be killed in high or low temperatures, so it is better to stay away from sea wolves.
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