| Triggerfish and Filefish belong to a super family with the common name of Leatherjackets. The Leatherjacket name comes from the rough and abrasive texture of their skin. In some countries, the dried skin is even used as sandpaper. Triggerfish, Balistidae, can lock their tough, front dorsal fin erect using a second spine which resembles a trigger. Once erect, the front dorsal fin cannot be unlocked without “pulling the trigger” or second spine. When threatened, triggerfish wedge their bodies into a tight crevice and lock their spine making it virtually impossible to be extracted by a predator. Filefishes, Monacanthidae, cannot lock their elongated spine into place. |
| While there are approximately 40 species of triggerfishes worldwide, only six species are found in the shallow waters of the tropical western Atlantic. The Black Durgon is the most common. Other triggerfishes include the Queen, Ocean, Gray, Rough and Sargassum species. |
| Triggerfish have oval, compressed bodies with elongated back dorsal and anal fins that give them a distinctive look while swimming. Eyes are positioned very high on the head and can rotate independently. Triggerfish usually swim with a wave like motion from their soft dorsal and anal fins using their caudal fins only for bursts of speed. Their slow speed would not fit many other fish, but the style gives the triggerfish great maneuverability useful for extracting invertebrates from their hiding places. |
| The Queen triggerfish is very beautiful and easily identified by the two distinctive, bright blue lines on the face that curve downward like moustaches. The favorite food of the Queen Triggerfish is sea urchins. She blows a stream of water on the urchin to turn it over, exposing the soft underbelly. |
| Black Durgons have black diamond shaped scales with pale edges that give it a black appearance with greenish or blueish overtones. They have a thin, white stripe at the base of the dorsal and anal fins. The Black Durgon is usually found higher in the water column over the reef. The Black Durgon is an omnivore that feeds on algae and floating plankton. |
| The Gray Triggerfish is similar to the Ocean Triggerfish, but can be identified by the series of blue markings on their upper body and fins. The body of the Gray Triggerfish changes to a mottled pattern when it is near seaweed. They may have faint bars or blotches on the upper body. |
| The Ocean Triggerfish are relatively large, uniformly gray triggerfish, often with a black spot on their pectoral fin. Ocean Triggerfish are typically found in the open ocean and not often found along reefs. However, large schools are often seen at the Flower Gardens. Ocean Triggerfish often make noise by grinding their teeth or beating their pectoral fins against their body. |
| Rough Triggerfish are much smaller than the other triggerfish. Their bodies have many small, pale blue spots. The Sargassum triggerfish have a more rounded head with a distinctive face. They have three dark lines on the cheek with a white crescent over the eye. |
