Titan triggerfish

Titan triggerfish

The titan triggerfish, giant triggerfish or mustache triggerfish (Balistoides viridescens) is a large triggerfish found in most of the Indo-Pacific. It is sometimes called the biggest triggerfish species, but that title goes to the unrelated stone triggerfish.

Behavior

This big beast is diurnal, usually eating sea urchins, crustaceans, tube worms and coral. It can flip rocks, stir up some sand, and bite off pieces of branching coral. This is why other smaller fish species are often seen following it. This is because they feed on the detritus that has been stirred up by the titan triggerfish.

Interaction with humans

Though titan triggerfish are usually wary of people swimming around, females can be territorial and aggressive around their nests.

References

1. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2010). "Balistoides viridescens" in FishBase. 1 2010 version.

Other websites

• Photos of Titan triggerfish on Sealife Collection