Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
It has a small second dorsal spine which is used to lock its main spine into an upright position. When sheltering in a small crevice, this locking helps protect the fish against extraction by a predator. The reef triggerfish is characterized by having a noticeably large snout and blue lips that resemble that of a pig’s snout.
Triggerfish have an oval-shaped, highly compressed body. The head is large, terminating in a small but strong-jawed mouth with teeth adapted for crushing shells. The eyes are small, set far back from the mouth, at the top of the head. The anterior dorsal fin is reduced to a set of three spines. The first spine is stout and by far the longest.
Balistes vetula is the type species of the genus Balistes, a name which refers to the first spine of the dorsal fin being locked in place by the erection of the shorter second trigger spine, and unlocked by depressing the second spine. Balistes is taken directly from the Italian pesca ballista, the "crossbow fish".
In many respects, fish anatomy is different from mammalian anatomy. However, it still shares the same basic body plan from which all vertebrates have evolved: a notochord, rudimentary vertebrae, and a well-defined head and tail. [5] [6] Fish have a variety of different body plans.
The threat posture includes the triggerfish facing the intruder while holding its first dorsal spine erect. [6] It may also roll onto its side, allowing it a better look at the intruder it perceives as threatening its nest. The titan triggerfish will not always bite, but can swim at snorkellers and divers escorting them out of their territory.
The grey triggerfish is a medium-sized fish that can grow to 60 cm (24 in), but a more common length is 44 cm (17 in). The small beak-like mouth at the tip of the snout has fleshy lips. The eyes are set far back near the top of the head. The body is laterally compressed and deep-bodied with a tough, leathery skin.
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
The orange-lined triggerfish is the only member of the monotypic genus Balistapus, a name which suffixes -a, meaning "without" and pus, which means "foot" onto Balistes, as Park described it as being without pelvic fins, but like all triggerfishes, the pelvic fins are hidden in the skin and joied together to form a spine ending in very short ...