By Travis Rabun

 Class Osteichthyes  Order Perciformes  Family Sphyraenidae  Sphyraena barracuda– The Great Barracuda

 Sphyraena is the only genus in the family  Elongated fish, with pike-like appearance  Have fang like teeth like paranhas  Long pointed heads  Some have underbites  Rely on surprise and short burst of speed to kill prey

 Lives near reefs at around meters  Has an emarginate tail fin with pale tips on each lobe  Have black blotches on the lower sides of the fish  Long and silver with a flattened head

 Feed on small fish, cephalopods, and sometimes shrimp  Rarely attack humans, and is rarely fatal  Largest was 5.5 feet, 103 lbs.  Barracuda meat is poisonous, and can be dangerous to eat  Also illegal to sell barracuda meat

 Class Osteichthyes  Order Perciformes  Family Mullidae  Pseudupeneus malactus—Spotted Goatfish

 Tropical marine fish  Also known as “red mullets”  Have a chemosensory barbels protruding from chin to help search for food in substrate  By day form non feeding schools for protection from predetors  Can change their color based on activity (feeding, mating, etc.)

 Live near reefs at a depth range of 1-90 meters  Distinguishable by a series of three large blackish blotches on upper side of body beneath dorsal fins  Typically pale in color with three black/red blotches on its sides

 Feed on small invertebrates  Highly esteemed in fish markets  Goatfish have two barbels extending form the chin, these are used to probe the sand for food