---
title: Barracudas (Sphyraenidae)
scientific_name: Sphyraenidae
common_name: Barracudas
rank: Family
published: 2024-11-19T18:41:51.573Z
updated: 2026-08-03T20:47:43.088Z
tags: Barracudas, Sphyraenidae, Red Sea, Marine Life, Diving
url: https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/barracudas
---

# Barracudas (*Sphyraenidae*)

## Quick facts

- **Rank:** Family
- **Scientific name:** Sphyraenidae
- **Body shape:** Torpedo - Streamlined and muscular, built for open-water speed - jacks, tunas, barracudas.
- **Species listed here:** 7

## How to recognise this group

- very long, slender, cylindrical body
- pointed head with prominent, projecting lower jaw
- prominent, visible canine teeth
- silvery body, often with dark vertical bars
- solitary or schooling in open water

Barracudas are slender, cylindrical fishes with elongated bodies and a pointed snout. A prominent lower jaw protrudes beyond the upper, armed with large, pointed, canine-like teeth. They typically display two widely separated dorsal fins and a deeply forked caudal fin. Their colouration is usually silvery, often with dark vertical bars or blotches along the flanks. Species range from 30 cm (12 in) up to 1.7 m (5.6 ft) in total length.

They inhabit the water column from the surface to at least 100 m (330 ft) depth, frequenting outer reef slopes, drop-offs, and open water. Barracudas are fast-swimming, opportunistic predators that feed primarily on other fish, employing ambush tactics or rapid pursuit to capture prey. Smaller species commonly form large, dense schools, while mature individuals of larger species are typically solitary or found in small groups. They are commonly encountered by divers throughout the Red Sea.


## Species (7)

- [Bigeye Barracuda (Sphyraena forsteri)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/barracudas/bigeye-barracuda)
- [Blackmargin Barracuda (Sphyraena qenie)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/barracudas/blackmargin-barracuda)
- [Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/barracudas/great-barracuda)
- [Iburi Barracuda (Sphyraena iburiensis)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/barracudas/iburi-barracuda)
- [Midget Barracuda (Sphyraena chrysotaenia)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/barracudas/midget-barracuda)
- [Pickhandle Barracuda (Sphyraena jello)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/barracudas/pickhandle-barracuda)
- [Pondicherry Barracuda (Sphyraena obtusata)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/barracudas/pondicherry-barracuda)

---

*Source: [Red Sea Creatures](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/barracudas)*
*Updated: August 3, 2026*