Barracudas at Shark Reef, Ras Mohammed National Park, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt Jul 27, 2025

Barracudas at Shark Reef, Ras Mohammed National Park, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt

Being surrounded by a shimmering spiral of silver—that"s what it feels like to encounter a school of blackfin barracuda at Shark Reef in Ras Mohammed National Park, Egypt. These streamlined fish, marked by sharp V-shaped stripes, move in near-perfect unison. Their slow, deliberate spirals aren"t random—they"re an evolutionary strategy that offers both safety in numbers and an edge in hunting. Blackfin barracudas are found throughout tropical waters, from the Red Sea to the central Pacific. During the day, they gather in tight, coordinated groups near the reef, scattering at dusk to pursue prey.

© Alex Mustard/Nature Picture Library

palette

Today in History

A triumphant pose
The lonely castle
Jul 27, 2024Vineyards above the Moselle River, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Reflecting on Christmas
Feb 20, 2025Red deer, Canada
Jun 11, 2025Greater flamingos, Lüderitz, Namibia
Mar 19, 2025A black heron canopy hunting in Botswana
Dec 6, 2025Everglades National Park, Florida, United States
Huddled and hunting
A puzzle for giants
Beauty comes in trees
Oct 4, 2024World Space Week begins
May 3, 2024The Sonoran Desert, Arizona, US
Man-made, meandering Lake Powell
Apr 9, 2025Naxos, Cyclades, Greece
Feb 6, 2025Scottish Blackface sheep, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Jul 3, 2025Rainbow River, Rainbow Springs State Park, Florida, United States
The Big Apple with a foggy topping
When being in a rut is OK
Aug 11, 2024Wooden path to Kennedy Lake, Vancouver Island, Canada
Apr 20, 2025Easter
Rebels of the owl world
Dec 18, 2023Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
May 15, 2024The Blue City of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
Oct 26, 2024Gespensterwald, Nienhagen, Germany
Rainbow around the sun
Feb 3, 2024Grand Canal with Santa Maria della Salute Basilica, Venice, Italy
Dec 25, 2023Christmas Day
Apr 11, 2025Tulips, Netherlands
Apr 6, 2024Himeji Castle, Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
When life imitates art
The road less taken?
Dec 2, 2023Angkor, Cambodia