Great Barracuda

Photo: Amon Engler · CC BY-NC

Great barracuda hunt the current-exposed outer edge of South Reef as solitary ambush predators, using their torpedo-shaped bodies and extraordinary acceleration to intercept schooling fish from close range. Large individuals up to 1.5 metres are regularly encountered hovering in the blue water just beyond the reef lip, their chrome flanks catching the filtered sunlight. As fast-twitch apex predators, they play a critical role in keeping small reef fish populations in dynamic equilibrium.