Plural of barracuta; large predatory fish related to barracudas found in various oceans.
From Spanish barracuda, possibly from Taino (Caribbean) language origins, combined with plural -s. This variant spelling appears in older ichthyological texts.
The spelling 'barracouta' vs. 'barracuda' is a leftover from how different colonial powers named the same fish—English and Spanish explorers couldn't quite agree on the spelling, and both versions survived.
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