Great Barracuda

Photo: Christian Amador Da Silva · © all rights reserved

The Arguineguín seamount supports one of the largest resident barracuda aggregations in the Canary Islands — schools of 200 to 500 individuals form a living cyclone around the seamount peak that is maintained year-round, though numbers peak between July and November when warmer thermoclines push foraging fish to the summit. Barracuda schools form for protection and possibly to enable cooperative hunting, with individual fish maintaining precise spacing using lateral line pressure detection as well as vision. Their torpedo-shaped bodies and fang-lined jaws make them formidable visual subjects and they typically allow divers to approach within 2 to 3 metres before shifting course.