TRIGGERFISH + MORE

Welcome to our WOW Gallery which stands for Wonders of Water. The beautiful fish in this gallery on the left are from the Indo Pacific region, which are the warm, tropical waters of the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean. This region has the greatest variety of fish and reef building corals in the world. Though coral may look like a colorful plant growing from roots in the seafloor, they are actually animals.

The colorful fish you see in these exhibits have special adaptations to help them survive in this reef habitat.

RED-TOOTHED TRIGGERFISH

One fascinating fish in this display is the red-toothed triggerfish. These vibrant fish have a mouth that appears to be grinning with tiny and sharp red teeth that are visible when the mouth is closed. They are aggressive towards others of their species and can vocalize by making a grunting-type sound. They have the ability to change color from purple to blue to blue-green depending on their mood. Mucous covers their body that provides protection from parasites and helps these triggerfish swim faster.

SWIPE RIGHT ON PHOTO FOR ANOTHER AMAZING FISH

PICASSO TRIGGERFISH

Another amazing fish is the Picasso Triggerfish. Beautiful but cranky, Picasso Triggerfish are well known for their displays of temper—they can be particularly territorial around their nesting sites. They get their name from spines that they can use to lock themselves into crevices in rocks and reefs to hide from predators. When they want to come back out, the second spine acts as a “trigger” to unlock the first!

SWIPE RIGHT ON PHOTO FOR ANOTHER AMAZING FISH

UNICORN FISH

Unicorn fish are peaceful, and rarely aggressive, although they have their sharp tail blades they can use for defending themselves. 

The horn-like appendage between their eyes begins growing when a young fish reaches about 5 inches, so as you can see our baby unicorns are starting to develop their horns. The unicornfish does not use its horn for defense, but rather its sharp tail spines. Biologists are unsure of the purpose of the horn. This fish also has the amazing ability to change its color almost instantly depending on its environment and its mood.