Triggerfish

Triggerfish

Today we are going to talk about a very colorful fish in which there is a great variety. Its about triggerfish. It is also known by the name of pejepuercos. Their scientific name is Balistidae and they are found mainly in the coastal waters of some of the world's oceans. In this article we are going to tell you about the characteristics and way of life of these colorful fish.

Do you want to know more about triggerfish? Keep reading because we tell you everything.

Key features

triggerfish characteristics

Around the world we can find more than 40 species of triggerfish. They all belong to the Tetraodontiformes family. In the description of their body we find an oval and compressed shape that helps them to sneak better in the water. Their head is larger in size and they have a jaw that serves to harm their prey.

The eyes are smaller in size and are on the edge of the head. This makes it quite interesting, since by having your eyes in that place you can have different perspectives than other fish are used to.

It contains a dorsal fin with three spines that form grooves on its body. The fins are in combination with the dorsal and thanks to this he is a great swimmer. Your body is designed to be able to swim at both low and high speeds.

The skin is quite conspicuous and has hardness. Scientists affirm that the calluses of the skin act as a shield to protect against the bites of certain predators that are similar in size to their own. Obviously these hardnesses have nothing to do with some large predators such as the White shark.

The length of these fish does not exceed 50 cm. It has been possible to find an isolated specimen with up to 1 meter in length.

Habitat and distribution of hogfish

Range of triggerfish

These fish can be found in seas and oceans around the world. In tropical waters it is where there is more abundance since they need higher temperatures for the development of individuals.

As for their habitat, the best habitat where they can reproduce and live is near coral reefs. They usually use the crevices of the same or of rocks near them to hide at night and guarantee that they are not captured by predators.

Behavior

Triggerfish behavior

Many of these fish they are solitary and their activity is diurnal. At night they hide in some rock crevices and near corals to be able to escape from predators. Some species of triggerfish become very aggressive when they are in the breeding season because they are very territorial and defensive with their young.

When it comes to defending the nest, they are capable of doing anything. There have been cases in which it has attacked human beings who were diving in the surroundings. They are very territorial fish. At first glance they can be seen swimming calmly and they seem docile. Females have a more aggressive appearance than males and will attack larger fish in order to protect their young. They are not afraid of anything.

As we have said before, some divers have been attacked and bitten by some specimens of female triggerfish. These females consider any individual in close proximity to be a threat to their young.

Triggerfish feeding

Triggerfish feeding

The hogfish have a fairly varied diet. Its main food is to eat meats of different species such as shrimp, mollusks, worms, crabs and sea urchins. It is a carnivorous species that uses their fins to dig holes that help them get their food.

Use the water that it retains in its mouth to expel the rest of the sand that may remain in the holes and have the food more close at hand. They usually consume large amounts of food during the day to spend the night resting and even several days without eating. They also supplement their diet with some tall plants and other plants that are at the bottom of the sea.

Some species of triggerfish they feed on the plankton they find. To catch their prey well, they dig a deep hole for a few minutes to have more opening. You can frequently see how there are other species de peces that help the triggerfish to take advantage of the food it provides them and act as scavengers, eating the leftovers. These scavenger fish survive thanks to the catches made by the pigfish.

Reproduction

triggerfish reproduction

Generally, we have mentioned that they are solitary fish. However, they are polygamous fish. That is, males can be with several females at the same time and vice versa. For reproduction there is no type of courtship as there is usually in other species de peces. The females, being very territorial, they choose their partner immediately.

Once copulation has taken place, the female moves to deposit her eggs in the territory where the male develops his life. This is how he leaves the mission to take care of them until they grow up. This is the reason why males are also territorial, as they have the mission of taking care of their young. When the fish are fertilized they are very small in size and quite fragile. To avoid possible damage from strong surf, parents have to help them learn to swim well.

The female is the one in charge of taking care of the area where the eggs have been expelled, expelling possible predators. Thanks to this protection, the fry can develop earlier. In its counterpart, males travel further to carry their young and let them learn both to swim and hunt.

There are some species of this fish in which the fertilization and the expulsion of the eggs occurs on the same day. In some, they are even born the same day at the end of the day. This makes them have a high reproduction rate and a considerable increase in their populations.

I hope this information helps you to know more about triggerfish.


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