Great barracuda

Photo: dapsang · © all rights reserved

The great barracuda is a solitary apex predator that uses stealth rather than speed for most of its hunting, hanging almost motionless in open water until prey fish are within striking range. Juveniles form schools in sheltered mangroves but adults are typically solitary at exposed rocky sites like Blowing Rock. They are famously attracted to shiny objects, which their lateral line may misidentify as the flash of a fish's flank — divers should remove dangling jewellery.