Behavior of Trumpetfish

[TheRedHead]

I was fortunate to observe many trumpetfish in Bonaire and their behavior fascinates me. Not only do they hang upside down disguised as whips, but they shadow other fish. I observed one that followed a sharptail eel around while it burrowed around in the sand and another that almost attached itself to a grouper. I'm not sure of how the trumpetfish would benefit from shadowing a grouper as in the attached photo. Any ideas?

 

[alcina]

It's one way they hunt. They will also shadow octopus and change colours as the octopus does! It's very cool to watch this stuff in action

These guys are super fast and seeing them dash out and strike is one amazing experience!

 

[maractwin]

Trumpetfish often engage in shadow feeding where they hide behind another fish. Lets them get closer to potential prey than they could otherwise. Deloach describes it at length in the chapter on feeding in Reef Fish Behavior.

-Mark

 

[archman]

Here's the best thread on it. I was reviewing the relevant material at the time...
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=88114

 

[TheRedHead]

Here's the best thread on it. I was reviewing the relevant material at the time...
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=88114

Yes, that is the sort of thing I saw a lot of. I have a video (too large to upload here) of a sharptail eel being shawdowed by a trumpetfish, grunt, jack and a spanish hogfish. At first I thought the hogfish was trying to attack the eel, but then saw he was diving into the sand near the eel trying to catch things the eel disturbed. It was really fascintating to watch.

As far as the trumpetfish and grouper, what is the advantage to the grouper? Isn't the trumpetfish competing for the same prey?

On the same reef, I also saw a very large yellow trumpetfish with a small coney in his mouth. It just seems so strange that the grouper (who would have been a potential meal earlier in his life) would cooperate with the trumpetfish.

This stuff is too cool!

 

[drbill]

Often shadowing involves non-competing species. For example a piscivorous (fish-eating) species might shadow an herbivore or invertebrate feeder. Fish on the other side of the herbivore aren't frightened by its presence, allowing the piscivore to dart out and capture them. With a trumpetfish and a grouper (both potential piscivores), the shadowing is harder to explain since the grouper should frighten away the trumpetfish's prey as well.

 

[ishbaby]

ive seen trumpet fishes in several of my dives, but ive never noticed this behaviour since I usually see them just swimmin around, and hiding when I approach it.

 

[sea nmf]

On Sunday's 2nd dive, a trumpet fish shadowed the dive group the entire dive. This is a first. It was around dusk and we had a few small lights on. But that is really the only difference I could think of from any other dive.