chevron barracuda
Sphyraena putnamae
- Usual depth19–97 m
- Water temperature23–29 °C
- Best monthsNovember
- How commonOccasional
About this species
Sphyraena putnamae, the sawtooth, chevron or military barracuda, is a species of barracuda found in all tropical seas and temperate waters of major oceans with the exception of the Eastern Pacific. It is found near shores in bays, turbid lagoons, and some reefs. It can be distinguished by the many dark chevron-shaped markings along its side, and its forked caudal fin. It spends its time in the shallow part of the sea off the coast, and stays closer to the surface levels of the open ocean. It can live up to 14 years, reaching lengths of six feet (1.8 m) long and weighing over 100 pounds (45 kg).
Text from the Wikipedia article “Sphyraena putnamae”, 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: 19 records
- February: 2 records
- March: 10 records
- April: 17 records
- May: 3 records
- June: 5 records
- July: 3 records
- August: 14 records
- September: 15 records
- October: 15 records
- November: 44 records
- December: 26 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 19–97 m · Deepest record: 137 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 23–29 °C
Names and classification
- English
- chevron barracuda, Military Barracuda, Military Sea-pike, Military Seapike, Sawtooth barracuda
Names in 7 more languages
- German
- Sägezahn-Barrakuda, Winkel-Barrakuda
- Spanish
- Baracuda
- Filipino
- Balyos
- French
- Bécune chevronnée
- Japanese
- Okamasu, オオカマス
- Thai
- ปลาน้ำดอกไม้บั้ง
- Simplified Chinese
- 倒牙魣, 巴拉庫答, 布氏金梭魚, 竹梭, 針梭
Other scientific names: Sphyraena bleekeri, Sphyraena putnamiae, Sphyraena putnamie, Sphyraena raghava
Similar species
Great barracudaSphyraena barracuda
- Yellowtail barracuda
Sphyraena flavicauda
- Bigeye barracuda
Sphyraena forsteri
- Pickhandle barracuda
Sphyraena jello
- Obtuse barracuda
Sphyraena obtusata
- 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).
- 676 open-data records from 1905 to 2023.
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