01 April 2012
Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles
A Caribbean trumpetfish (Aulostomus maculatus), off the coast of Bonaire, in the Lesser Antilles.
Trumpetfish are named for their elongated snouts and bodies, and can expand their mouths widely to suck up the small fish and crustaceans they feed on. They are able to change skin color to blend with surroundings, and often use large herbivorous fish as camouflage, shadowing them until the moment is right to strike out at smaller prey.
Trumpetfish will often hang vertically in the water, drifting with the current and vacuuming up any prey swimming below, using a method called ‘pipette feeding’.
