Trumpetfish

Key West diving and Key West snorkeling offers opportunities to see so many different species of aquatic life. One fascinating example is the trumpetfish. This fish is about 24andrdquo; long. Its body color can be a brownish-red color or a greenish-yellow with a blue or purple head. It has the ability to change color quickly to blend into its surroundings. The trumpetfish’s body is very long and slender with a long snout shaped like a trumpet. More often than not, they can be found swimming or floating snout down. This is an interesting adaptation that is useful for defense as well as hunting for food. Their long, narrow bodies allow them to blend in to the surrounding foliage or to mimic coral on the reef. This hides them from predators as well as prey. In order to find food, they will float snout down near larger fish and simply wait for an unsuspecting fish to swim within reach. The trumpetfish will then lunge and use its long snout like a vacuum and suck the fish in. Its skin is very elastic so this fish can swallow prey much larger than itself.

The trumpetfish can be spotted in grassy or weedy areas as well as along the reef off the coast of Florida in its warm, tropical waters.