Photo of the Week: Great Barracuda

FUN FACTS:

• They weigh about 30 pounds and grow to be about 5-6 feet in length, but are fiercer in their temperament than many sharks.
• The Great Barracuda feeds on shrimp and any number of other fish, and is primarily a feeder of reefs.
• The Barracuda is most assuredly at the top of the predator chain.
• Although fierce fish, they great barracuda will only rarely attack humans even when they are swimming. When they do, they will strike only once, a very rapid fierce strike which is usually very serious but is not often fatal.
• Normally Barracuda are attracted to things that are silvery in color, have a high reflection and are akin to the fish they eat, so it is surmised that the attacks are barracuda who have supposed that the earrings or bracelet worn by a swimmer is a meal.
• Any type jewelry or reflective swimwear should always be avoided when swimming in the habitat that supports the barracuda.
• Barracuda are usually near the surface of the water, although they have been seen and recorded at depths of 100 meters, or about 90 feet.
• Smaller juveniles will often gather near shallow sheltered reefs, and will range into murky harbors, while adults will venture to open sea. Barracuda are diurnal.

Submit your Barracuda photos here to WIN a prize pack from MirrOlure & Old Salts: http://oldsaltfishing.org/photo-of-the-week