Barracuda coloration by night?

[Frank O]

Hi all, I'm spending the week in Roatan with my family, and my wife and I have done quite a bit of snorkeling/shallow freediving in a lagoon adjacent to our resort. On several daytime swims we've seen a couple of barracudas that are known to inhabit the lagoon.

Tonight we went out for a night swim, illuminated by my 18-watt HID light that I normally use for scuba. We saw a fish maybe 2-1/2 feet long that had the basic body shape of a barracuda. However, in the glow of the HID light its coloration looked quite a bit different to me from how barracudas have looked to me during the day. Instead of a silvery color (perhaps with blotches), this one had a greenish-yellow cast above the lateral line, and below the lateral line it looked a dark gray color.

If this wasn't a barracuda, I'm at a loss for what it is. Those of you who've seen barracudas on night dives -- does the coloration ever look different under artificial light? Thanks for any input.

 

[archman]

The profile and behaviour of great barracuda make them one of the most distinct Caribbean fishes. So if it looked like a barracuda to you, odds are it was one. Their toothy mouths are key identifiers.

They can turn darker if they feel like it. They will often change coal black at cleaning stations. Most reef fishes alter their body shading between night and day.

 

[gangrel441]

I can think of one fish who's body profile can be mistaken for a great barracuda - whaoo. However, I would not think this would be a likely candidate for the fish you saw, as wahoo are pelagic. Best guess is probably your great barracuda with a color change, possibly exacerbated by the artificial light and being lighted from a different angle than you normally see them.

 

[Ironcat]

What about a needlefish? I am not sure if that's what they are really called but everybody in South Florida knows the fish I mean. They are a greenish yellowy grayish color and they flit all over the surface of the water. You see them all the time near piers and rocks. We just call them needlefish.

 

[archman]

A big needlefish (i.e. houndfish) could be mistaken for a 'cuda... if you're looking out the corner of your eye... in murk. And that's just to do with body shape. Needlefish swim almost constantly; 'cuda just stay put like scary blimps.

But as Ironcat says, needlefish coloration sometimes has green and yellow in it, especially in larger animals.