Yellowtail Barracuda

Sphyraena obtusata

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Sphyraeniformes
Family: Sphyraenidae
Genus: Sphyraena
Species: Sphyraena obtusata

The yellowtail barracuda (Sphyraena obtusata) is a small, silvery barracuda with a yellowish tail and a faint yellow stripe along its side. Like all barracudas, it has a long body and a large mouth full of sharp teeth.

It grows to about 55 cm and usually swims in schools over seagrass beds, sand and reef edges, hunting small fish. Schools often hang almost motionless in the water before scattering.

The yellowtail barracuda is found in the Indo-West Pacific, including the Philippines, where schools are seen in bays, around reefs and in sheltered waters.