Fish
Sawtooth Barracuda
Sphyraena putnamae
A schooling barracuda of KZN, silver with dark chevron bars, often seen in dense stationary shoals.
Also known as australian barracuda, barracuda(sawtooth)
- Typical size
- Commonly 50-90 cm
- Habitat
- Reef edges and coastal open water
- Depth
- Surface to about 40 m
The sawtooth barracuda is a slender, silver predator of KwaZulu-Natal's warmer reefs and open water, distinguished by a series of dark chevron-shaped bars along the upper flanks. Unlike the solitary great barracuda, this species is best known for forming large, tightly packed schools that hover almost motionless in mid-water, a spectacular sight for divers.
It hunts small fish with the fanged jaws characteristic of barracudas. While generally indifferent to divers, its teeth are sharp and it should not be handled carelessly. It is taken by anglers on lures and live bait, though larger tropical barracudas carry a ciguatera risk worth noting.