The Barracuda!

"Swoosh! Did you feel that?"

It was the "Tiger of the Sea" which some people call the great barracuda. The barracuda has been around for more than 50 million years. Its sleek torpedo–like body, dagger-like teeth, and ferocious appetite make it a dangerous predator.

A barracuda has a spine and scales covering it. Do you know how big the barracuda is? It is 6 feet long! That is the size of a bookcase. People call it the great eating machine and it is big enough to prove it. It can weigh up to 100 pounds! That is more than me! That big foot creature lives in the subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean.

They can find and catch fish there. This helps them survive longer and they cannot swim in salty water because it will be harder for them to catch fish for food.

Did you know a barracudas eye is always open? Like most fish, it has no eyelids. They do rest by swimming more slowly and going into a like a trance, but it is still not a good idea to wake them up, they might get mad.

The barracuda is tough fish. People fear the barracuda because of the way they approach and follow divers. That is just one reason why the barracuda is so dangerous to go near. I bet since the barracuda is so scary, even the other fish in the ocean would not want to go near it.

by Melvin

picture from Wikipedia

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