Titan Triggerfish
Balistoides viridescens · bal-is-TOY-deez vir-ih-DES-enz
diurnalsolitaryLeast Concern
EdibleUnfriendlyDangerousPoisonous
Superpower
Squirts jets of water to flip armoured urchins over and crack into their soft side.
At a glance
- Size
- typically 50 cm, up to 75 cm
- Lifespan
- 10–20 years
- Depth
- 1–50 m
Habitat
Coral reefs and lagoons.
Diet
Sea urchins, crabs, molluscs and coral, crushed with strong teeth.
Can I eat it?
Yes — edible · tastiness 4/10.
How to cook: Eaten in places, but can carry ciguatera; not a common food fish.
Safety
- Dangerous5/10
Aggressively guards its nest and can deliver a serious bite to divers.
- Poisonous3/10
May carry ciguatera toxin.
Fun facts
- Nesting titan triggerfish will charge and bite divers who enter their territory.
- Its nest territory is cone-shaped, widest at the surface, so swim sideways to escape.
- It blows water at sea urchins to flip them and reach their soft undersides.