Fish of the Week: Smooth Trunkfish

Trunkfish, Bonaire

The Smooth Trunkfish is a member of the Ostraciidae (Boxfish) family.

It is found throughout the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and subtropical parts of the western Atlantic Ocean.

Smooth Trunkfish use their protuberant lips to expel a jet of water which disturbs the sandy seabed and help reveal any buried invertebrates.

They feed on wide range of small molluscs, worms, crustaceans, sponges and tunicates.

Juveniles are born with a dark body covered with large yellow and pale spots.

The fish is normally solitary but sometimes moves around in small groups.

It’s spotted design creates the perfect camouflage to help blend into the coral reef.

These images were captured with a Gopro Hero 4 Silver around the island of Bonaire. More images from Bonaire can be found here.

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