Today’s gif friend is the titan triggerfish. The species is found in the lagoons and reefs of the Indo-Pacific regions (except for Hawaii) at depths of around 160 feet. Growing up to about 30 inches, it is the largest triggerfish that inhabits its range. Solitary in nature, the titan triggerfish feeds during the daytime, digging up sea urchins, mollusks, crustations and worms by stirring up sand, and biting off bits of coral to eat. While they tend to avoid divers, the titan triggerfish can be aggressive, particularly towards other fish that enter their turf. Females defending nests can be especially hostile, and divers finding themselves too close have reported painful bites that need medical attention. You can understand why—just check out those teeth!
The shot of today’s fish was taken by Ian Haggerty, a photographer based out of the United Kingdom. I assume Mr. Haggerty knew what he was doing, as he appears to do quite a bit of diving. And because the triggerfish didn’t raise his dorsal fin, a pose that the fish adopts when he is ready to attack, I think he was likely more curious than combative.
From the confines of my home office (which is located nowhere near an Into-Pacific reef and therefore carries minimal risk of getting bitten) the titan triggerfish looks happy-go-lucky and a bit goofy. In my mind, he’s just a carefree explorer, taking it all in and enjoying the moment. You can check out the source video by clicking below.
Try saying "Toothy Titan Triggerfish" 3 times fast!
Making it look even more surreal, it appears to be flying effortlessly over a beach on a blue sky sunny day.