Barracuda attacks

Posted by Sharon on August 1, 2009, 6:24 pm
189.177.0.133

Hi Everyone. I want to share something that happened to a friend of mine this last week. She and her family were vacationing in Cancun and she was swimming when a barracuda attacked her. She was swimming around in fairly shallow water and it came from out of nowhere. Barracuda's are voracious predators and hunt using a classic example of lie-in-wait or ambush. They rely on surprise and short bursts of speed (up to 28 miles per hour (45 km/h))[4] to overrun their prey, sacrificing maneuverability. Barracuda's are attracted to things that glint and shine and my friend was wearing a necklace. It attacked the side of her face, just missing her jugular. She was in surgery for six hours in a hospital in Cancun and for a moment her condition was very grave. There was a plastic surgeon present as well as several other doctors. She will be in the hospital until next Tuesday, and after that will have to remain in Cancun for two weeks for observation. Like sharks, barracudas have long had a bad reputation as being dangerous to humans. As barracudas are also scavengers, they may mistake snorkelers for large predators and follow them in the hopes of scavenging the remains of an attack on prey. Being formidable hunters, barracudas are capable of defending themselves against humans. Handfeeding or trying to touch them is discouraged. Spearfishing around barracudas can also be quite dangerous, as they are strongly attracted by the wounded fish. I don't know if barracuda's swim around in the Bay of Tenacatita, but if they are known to swim in those waters, remember to remove any jewelry before going in the water.

350

Be sure to visit www.lamanzanilla.info