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:

Jan. 5, 2024International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, Harbin, China
Nimble and stealthy
Oct. 19, 2023Mekong River Delta, Long An, Vietnam
Jul. 6, 2025Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park, United States
Jan. 12, 2025Crescent-tail bigeye fish, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Nov. 12, 2023Diwali
Serene waters on a trembling earth
Aug. 20, 2023International Lighthouse Weekend
Oct. 15, 2025National Mushroom Day
Jun. 18, 2024Lupine fields, Snæfellsnes, Iceland
Nov. 19, 2024Tasmans Arch, Tasman National Park, Tasmania, Australia
A view that’s out of this world
Festival fever
May 13, 2025Yoho National Park, British Columbia
Apr. 5, 2024The Bahamas
This snow will never melt
Like paint on a canvas
Sep. 23, 2025Keel-billed toucan, Costa Rica
Gateway to Iberia
Mar. 6, 2024Wahclella Falls, Oregon, USA
Jan. 9, 2024Rio Grande, Albuquerque
Mar. 11, 2024Koala sleeping in a eucalyptus tree, Australia
How can we help at-risk animals?
Oct. 24, 2023Füzér Castle in the Zemplén Mountains, Hungary
Jun. 16, 2025World Sea Turtle Day
Its puffling season!
Jan. 21, 2026Eurasian red squirrel
An island park for everyone
Dec. 11, 2025International Mountain Day
Jun. 21, 2025World Giraffe Day