Queen triggerfish

Photo: Sylvain Le Bris · CC BY-NC

Queen triggerfish are among the Caribbean's most visually striking and ecologically important reef fish. They excavate sea urchins by blowing jets of water to flip them over and expose the spineless underside, and this urchin-grazing function is critical on reefs where urchin populations would otherwise overgraze algae or, conversely, where urchin removal keeps the ecosystem balanced. Females prepare broad sand nest sites that males guard aggressively — divers approaching a nesting queen triggerfish may experience a rapid warning charge.