Barracuda — Dangerous Creatures

Barracuda

Sphyraena barracuda

Faster than you, sharper than a knife, and always watching.

Weapons Teeth & Jaws Habitat Oceans & Coral Reefs Found in Oceans & Seas

More fearsome than sharks in the opinion of many divers, the great barracuda is big, aggressive, and armed with a mouthful of spearlike teeth. It's also fast–dashing in at 43 kilometers (27 mi) per hour. Most attacks on people, though, are probably a matter of mistaken identity. In cloudy water, a person looks a lot like a big fish.

Get closer

Dental daggers

A dentist would want to be very careful cleaning these teeth! It's true that the barracuda's impressive jaws could cause great harm to a person. But the teeth of all animals, including the barracuda, are designed not to attack humans but to handle the type of food the animal eats.

OrcaAn orca, also called a "killer whale," uses its cone-shaped teeth to grasp slippery prey.

BarracudaA barracuda can slash through a school of fish with its knifelike teeth.

PiranhaA piranha's razor-sharp, triangular teeth allow it to dart in and neatly clip off a mouthful of prey.

Dangerous dish

It's pretty obvious that it would not be a good experience if one of these animals bit you. But did you know that you could get into just as much trouble if you bit one of them? These animals sometimes feed on fish that are poisonous, and as a result they become toxic themselves.

BarracudaBarracudas will sometimes eat pufferfish, whose poison is 500 times stronger than cyanide.

Moray eelMoray eels are among the most poisonous of fish. Don't even think of biting a moray!

Hammerhead sharkThe liver is the most poisonous part of the hammerhead.

Diver danger

There are many dangerous things under water besides barracudas. Here are a few critters that divers need to look out for.

CoralAlthough they may look like pretty plants, all corals can sting. Coming into contact with orange tube coral is especially painful.

Sea snakeIf you're diving in Australia or the South Pacific, keep an eye out for sea snakes. They're extremely venomous. Fortunately, they're also pretty shy.

Yikes!The rush of a great white shark is a diver's worst nightmare. Fortunately, these sharks rarely attack people.

Too close!

If a barracuda followed you home, you wouldn't want to keep it! These fish have been known to trail divers like curious puppies. They seem to be attracted to flopping movements, like those made by a diver's body or an injured fish. So if you meet a barracuda, hold still. You can't outswim the animal, but once it realizes you're not food, it's likely to go away.

Watch

Band of barracudas — Barracudas group together into huge schools when they migrate to spawn. Imagine seeing hundreds of these fearsome-looking fish swimming toward you! You'd actually be pretty safe, though—schooling barracudas have never been known to attack a person.

Source: Microsoft Dangerous Creatures (1994) CD-ROM. Text liberated from original screen art; images & clip restored from disc. Original media is Microsoft/supplier copyright — placeholder pending swap to open-licensed assets. Credits & Acknowledgements →