The Florida coast is known for its wide variety of organisms ranging as small as seagrass blades and gobies to large predators like shark species and the infamous barracuda. There is a large stigma put against not only sharks for their bite, looks, and the accidents that occur, but thus being from the barracuda. Many people fear entering Florida waters for the exact reason of not wanting to be attacked, which is extremely reasonable considering society and social media can dramatize the entire truth. But don’t be too alarmed, many times victims do not follow advice from professionals or research any precautions to be taken before entering the ocean.
The great barracuda is a very long, basic looking fish that has two rows of extremely sharp teeth, and a blue/gray and silver color allowing its body to blend within the ocean water. It can reach up to 35 miles per hour when attacking its prey. Their typical prey includes grunts, small tuna, grouper, and snapper to name a few, however, if shiny, fish used for bait can become a snack for this stealthy organism. Barracudas are known to attack their prey based on the coloration/shiny factor on their scales. This trait is due to the fact that they hunt based on sight rather than smell. Therefore, humans can get caught in the crossfire for a barracuda's next meal.
Humans have been fearful of this organism due to the speed, teeth, and rare attacks on them for many years. Many times, attacks occur when a person leaves shiny objects like jewelry on their body when entering the water. Unfortunately, the barracuda then mistakes people for food and will attack at full throttle, typically for one bite or laceration. Specifically in Florida, two attacks were reported at different locations and times, and one resulted in death sadly. I will say, even after doing my research before this trip, the small juvenile I spotted in the shallow, blocked off area of Bahia Honda took me by surprise after seeing a large adult just days before in an aquarium tank. My only advice, take out your earrings or shiny objects like watches, otherwise you might encounter this elusive creature and could potentially get hurt.
I'll be honest, after watching Finding Nemo many, many years ago, I always thought Barracudas were these terrifying animals that you do not want to encounter. After multiple snorkeling experiences in the Keys and various run-ins with these fish, they are not the scary critters that I have imagined them to be. I even had all of my shiny rings on when I saw them. After seeing that barracuda attack picture, I definitely feel a little luckier.
ReplyDeleteHi Bri, I found your post to be very informative and a good read for anyone who does not know very much about barracudas. growing up, I used to be terrified of barracudas, similar to how Alyssa put it, I saw Finding Nemo once and thought that they were the most dangerous creatures in the entire ocean, even more so than sharks. However, after seeing them in captivity as well as in the wild, I have realized that this really is not the case. Despite them having a very intimidating set of teeth that could easily cause serious damage if one did so choose to attack a person, the odds of this happening are slim to none. The only time that I have ever felt in danger around a barracuda would be on the multiple occasions that I have caught them while fishing, and that is me putting myself in the situation, not the barracuda going out of its way to try and attack me.
ReplyDeleteYour post was very informative. I was surprised that someone actually was killed from a barracuda. Even though they look scary, I wasn't afraid of them one bit. I found it interesting to learn that they hunt by sight, not smell, but it makes sense on why they say to not wear any jewelry. I also found the juvenile barracuda to be cute and not the least bit scary.
ReplyDeleteI've always treated barracuda with the same respect I've treated sharks, from a distance. Like you our encounter with the barracuda in the water really gave me a new perspective on how to look at the fish, as they never seemed to make any move towards us while we were snorkeling. I'm glad you talked about the jewelry and possible attraction, as I had always heard that rumor and never knew if it was true.
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