Wildlife of the Week: Titan Triggerfish
The beautiful, robust and perhaps misunderstood titan triggerfish is often found in lagoons, outer reefs and nibbling at the ends of your fins (especially if they are yellow). With a daring attitude unrivalled by any other, the titan triggerfish is our Wildlife of the Week:
Species: Balistoides viridescens
Class: Actinopterygii
Status: (IUCN) Not Evaluated
Diet: Hard corals, hard bodied benthic invertebrates (shellfish, crustaceans and urchins) and algae
Size: Up to 75 centimetres
Behaviour: Titan triggerfish are often solitary, and diurnal, meaning they are day-time fish, sleeping at night.
Distribution: They inhabit the coral reefs found in the Indo-Pacific region comprising Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Fiji and Australia, as well as the Maldives and the Red Sea
Ecosystem: The nest of the titan triggerfish is usually in a flat sandy area amongst the corals, an area that it will defend with a passion
5 fast facts:
- Titan triggerfish are extremely territorial, mating season is a particularly aggressive time during which the trigger fish becomes even more territorial than usual
- Their teeth, designed for crunching through hard shells and coral, can inflict serious wounds on any would-be intruders
- Their territory extends upwards in the shape of a cone, ascending will only put you further into its territory, making a horizontal swim away from the nesting area the best escape route
- Titans are also known as the “Black-tipped” or “Moustached Triggerfish” due to their appearance – they have dark markings above the mouth which look like a moustache – and black edgings on their fins
- The triggerfish search for mating partners and are known to do mating dances with the chosen one