Egg Eaters: Do Barracudas Eat Fish Eggs?

do barracudas eat fish eggs

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Barracudas are large, predatory fish that can be found in many of the world’s tropical and subtropical oceans often swimming alone hunting for food.

These intimidating fish have a fierce reputation, largely due to their huge razor-sharp teeth that tear and rip through flesh.

In this post, we’re going to take a look a closer look at the barracuda and debunk a myth that has left Finding Nemo viewers baffled. Do barracuda eat fish eggs?

No, barracudas in real life do not eat fish eggs. They feed primarily on fish such as groupers, jacks, anchovies, mullets, and much more.

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Do Barracudas Really Eat Fish Eggs?

Barracuda are opportunistic feeders that will eat just about anything that comes across their path. However, unlike in the Pixar movie, barracudas do not eat fish eggs.

These large fish typically live in open waters and not close to reefs, meaning they don’t come across fish eggs.

Although barracuda are scavengers, they don’t come across fish eggs as they live in different environments, meaning they don’t have the opportunity to do so.

Do Barracudas Eat Small Fish?

Barracudas feed on an array of prey which includes a variety of small fish species. They have a large gape and huge teeth that enable them to chomp their prey in half before consuming them.

Great barracuda are carnivores that rely on eating other fish to sustain themselves. They are formidable hunters and can swim at impressive speeds of up to 36mph.

Often they use the element of surprise to catch their prey off guard, swimming to the deep before charging up at their prey and shredding them before eating their catch.

Below are some of the small fish species that barracuda eat;

  • Groupes
  • Jacks
  • Herrings
  • Anchovies
  • Mullets
  • Grunts

Do Barracudas Eat Clown Fish?

In real life, barracudas do not typically eat clownfish as they live in different environments. However, sometimes a barracuda may come across a clownfish and will eat them.

So yes, sometimes barracuda do eat clownfish, but they certainly do not eat any type of fish eggs.

Barracuda prefer to eat larger fish that can provide them with a more sustainable meal.

Clownfish are very small, often 4 – 5 inches in length, so it’s not a very appetizing meal for a large barracuda.

That said, barracudas are sight-oriented fish that hunt by using their eyes.

Clownfish are colorful fish that stand out from the crowd, making them a target for barracuda when they do encounter one another.

Final Thoughts

So, do barracudas eat fish eggs? No, they do not. Unlike in the Pixar film where a barracuda eats Coral and her eggs, this would not happen in reality.

Barracuda live in the vast open oceans and not near coral reefs, meaning they would never come across fish eggs that they could eat.

They also prefer to eat a variety of smaller fish. Barracuda are scavengers that will take whatever food source they can find, often the remains of dead fish that other predators have killed and eaten.

Hopefully, this post has cleared up the myth that barracudas eat fish eggs and you now know that this is simply not true.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post and feel free to share it with others who have watched the amazing movie Finding Nemo.

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