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Triggerfish

Fish · Least Concern

Triggerfish

Balistoides viridescens

About

The titan triggerfish, also called the giant or moustache triggerfish, is a large triggerfish of lagoons and reefs down to about 50 m (160 ft) across most of the Indo-Pacific, though it does not occur in Hawaii. Reaching up to 75 centimetres (30 in) long, it is the largest triggerfish within its range.

Family
Balistidae
Avg size
30-75 cm
Behaviour
The titan triggerfish is active by day and lives alone. It feeds on sea urchins, molluscs, crustaceans, tube worms and coral, often flipping over rocks, stirring up sand and snapping off pieces of branching coral. Smaller fish frequently trail it to pick off the detritus and tiny organisms it disturbs. It is among the fish able to hunt and eat the crown-of-thorns starfish, and it is known to behave aggressively toward other fish that enter its territory.

Where & when

Where & When to See It

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