Pickhandle barracuda

Sphyraena jello

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth10–87 m
Water temperature19–29 °C
Best monthsMay, September, and October
How commonOccasional

Photo credit: (c) Dr. Guido Bohne, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist

About this species

The pickhandle barracuda is a species of barracuda found throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Its common name derives from the dark marks along its sides, which look like the thick ends of pickaxe handles. Sea anglers sometimes colloquially shorten the name to "pick". Other common names for the species include banded barracuda, yellowtail barracuda, and sea pike.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Pickhandle barracuda”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 66 records
February: 70 records
March: 80 records
April: 57 records
May: 99 records
June: 70 records
July: 45 records
August: 47 records
September: 86 records
October: 98 records
November: 84 records
December: 80 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 10–87 m · Deepest record: 485 m

0–10 m: 21 records
10–20 m: 35 records
20–30 m: 32 records
30–40 m: 44 records
40–50 m: 19 records
50–60 m: 4 records
60–70 m: 2 records
70–80 m: 24 records
80–90 m: 18 records
90–100 m: 5 records
100–110 m: 4 records
110+ m: 12 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 19–29 °C

18–20 °C: 1 records
20–22 °C: 0 records
22–24 °C: 57 records
24–26 °C: 61 records
26–28 °C: 97 records
28–30 °C: 72 records

Photos

no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
(c) portioid, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Ditch Townsend, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist
(c) Georgina Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist
(c) Ashwin A, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) portioid, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Debra Baker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

Names and classification

English: Pickhandle barracuda, Dingo-fish, Giant Sea-pike, Giant Seapike, Indo-Malaysian barracuda, pickhandle barracuda, Pick-handle Barracuda, Sea Pike, Slender barracuda, Slender Seapike

Names in 7 more languages

German: Jello-Barrakuda
Spanish: Baracuda
Filipino: Asugon, Balyos, Batig, Bikuda, Kitil, Rompe kanado, Siga-sigaro, Tigao, Ti-ig, Tursilyo, Ugoy
French: Bécune jello, Brochet de mer
Japanese: Torakamasu, トラカマス
Thai: ปลาน้ำดอกไม้, ปลาสากดำ
Simplified Chinese: 巴拉庫答, 斑條金梭魚, 斑條魣, 竹梭, 竹針魚, 針梭

Other scientific names: Sphyraena jelio, Sphyraena permisca, Sphyraena zygaena

Similar species

Great barracuda
Sphyraena barracuda
Yellowtail barracuda
Sphyraena flavicauda
Bigeye barracuda
Sphyraena forsteri
Obtuse barracuda
Sphyraena obtusata
chevron barracuda
Sphyraena putnamae
Blackfin barracuda
Sphyraena qenie

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
721 open-data records from 1829 to 2023.
Species data updated October 31, 2026.

Log what you see on your next dive

The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.

Join the waitlist