Trumpet fish
As partof the Aulostomidaefamily, theyalsobelongto the Syngnathiformesclass. Thiscategoryof marine animalsincludesray-finnedfishsuch as seahorses. Trumpetfishfound in the Atlantic Oceanhaveanelongatedbodythatends in a long, tubular, trumpet-shapedsnout, hencetheirname. Itsbodyis inflexible and can reach up to a meter in length. Theyhave the abilitytovarytheir color, dependingontheirstateofexcitementortheircamouflagestrategies. Thistechniqueis a formofcommunicationorhidingfromtheirprey, as they are fairlyweakswimmers. Theirabilityissuchthatthey can imitatealgae in motion, positioningthemselvesverticallytocamouflagethemselves in viewofother more dangerousfish. They are usually gray orbrown in color, but can alsohavelines, like the stripeson a zebra. Male trumpetfish use theirabilitytochange color toattractfemales. To mate, the femaletransfershereggsto the male forfertilization. Thatonewilltake care of the fertilizedeggsuntiltheyhatch, between March and June, justlikeseahorses.
Itis a demersalspecies (defines thosefishthatlivenear the bottom of the sea orlakes) and livesmainly in watersofrockybottoms, in depthsof 2 to 25m.
Trumpetfishusuallyswimwithschoolsofotherfishspeciessuch as breamsorgrunts. Itmay be forprotectionortakingadvantageoffeedingopportunities. When eating, trumpet fish hang vertically with their heads down, to search for small fish or crustaceans, it is solely carnivorous. To capture theirprey, theyrapidlyexpandtheirmouthtocreate a suctioneffectthatdraws the preyintotheirmouth. Theynever chase theirprey, sincetheytakeadvantageoftheircamouflagetowaitfor a preytopassby and use the elastic tissueswithwhichtheirmouthismadeto open ituntil the diameteroftheirmouthismuchlargerthanthatoftheirbody.
Currently, the populations of this fish are being observed with concern, since they are being increasingly reduced, either due to invasive species or due to pollution of the sea. Neverforgetthatyouhaveto try totake care of the planet and recycle, topreventspeciessuch as the trumpetfishfrombecomingextinct.
If you like marine animals and know more about them, you know that there is a PADI AWARE Fish ID specialty certification, where you will learn to recognize the characteristics of fish?
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