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

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:

Postcard from the Canadian Rockies
Oct. 21, 2023International Archaeology Day
Oct. 24, 2024Bodie State Historic Park, California, United States
Sep. 4, 2025The 50th Toronto International Film Festival
Nov. 21, 2023Grey seal pup
The ‘eighth wonder?’
Paddle power
Standing on glass 275+ metres in the air
The butterfly effect
Where the rainbow ends
May 1, 2024Lei Day
Jul. 30, 2025International Day of Friendship
Sep. 17, 2025A young bull moose, Denali National Park, Alaska, United States
Dec. 22, 2025The Nutcracker performed by the Turkish State Opera and Ballet in Türkiye
Apr. 12, 2025International Day of Human Space Flight
Celebrating the tropics
Jan. 29, 2025Chinese New Year
Rainbow around the sun
Serene waters on a trembling earth
Feb. 29, 2024Leap Day
Nov. 12, 2025Colosseum, Rome, Italy
Dec. 28, 2025Black-and-white ruffed lemur in Madagascar
Mar. 2, 2025Megalong Valley, Blue Mountains National Park, NSW, Australia
Ride the wave
Mar. 18, 2024Elephant Rock, Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia
Feb. 6, 20262026 Winter Olympics
Apr. 3, 2024Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Mar. 17, 2025Happy St. Patricks Day!
Mar. 18, 2025Red Rocks, Sedona, Arizona, United States
Sep. 8, 2025International Literacy Day