Trumpetfish

Photo: Addshore · CC BY

Trumpetfish are stealth predators of Caribbean reefs that use two remarkable hunting strategies: shadow hunting (hovering at a vertical angle above larger fish like parrotfish or surgeonfish to approach small prey concealed by the host's body) and colour-change ambush (switching from yellow to brown to mottled patterns to match the substrate). They hang motionless at the water surface to mimic floating sticks. Their elongated mouth generates a powerful vacuum strike that can engulf fish almost half their own body length. Abundant at Anses d'Arlet, they are frequently seen using green turtles and eagle rays as cover.