Blue triggerfish bite

[Pipehorse]

Yup, not uncommon. I’ve been followed & harassed by them. They have that look in their eye that says they’re boss!

I always thought if we could just train Grey Triggerfish to eat juvenile Lionfish, Lionfish would be quickly eradicated.

 

[uncfnp]

I was bit on the knucle by a gray triggerfish in Florida. You could see the teeth marks and though it barely broke the skin that knuckle swelled up and hurt for a good 3 month.

A short time later I was again in Florida on a drift dive, by this time it was just myself and two of the boat crew. We hit a patch of sand between reefs and here comes a triggerfish after us. He followed us for a full 3+ minutes going from one diver to another. I was filming at the time and used the camera to push him away. He finally managed to nip the ear of another dive, felt vendicated and swam off.

Remember, those fish make sand by crunching on coral/rock. Not surprising they can bite through wetsuit.

 

[tursiops]

We have Ocean, Queen, and Gray Triggerfish in SE Florida. The only ones to take a nip are the Gray Triggerfish. They can be a real nuisance at times.

What is a Blue Trigger, Sargassum Triggerfish?

The Blue Trigger, also known as the Red-Tooth Trigger, Odonus niger, is from the tropical indo-pacific area. In three decades of REEF.org surveys of species and abundance (over 13,000 surveys) in the Mexican Caribbean, not even one has been reported.
Yup, I'll bet it was a Sargassum triggerfish, or a juvenile Gray.

 

[jas]

We were diving Delila. Spread out over a sandy area, dive master was a few yards in front of me. He swam over a rock/coral, and suddenly gerked, and grabbed is knee and started rubbing it. I saw the blue trigger, but had no idea they were so aggressive. He started coming right towards my face, luckily he dropped and bit my knee. It really hurt! Thankfully he hit the rubber part of my wetsuit.
The dive master thought possibly he was looking for lion fish since divers will often feed them. I heard today, they are very territorial with their nest, which makes sense.

 

[Pipehorse]

The Blue Trigger, also known as the Red-Tooth Trigger, Odonus niger, is from the tropical indo-pacific area. In three decades of REEF.org surveys of species and abundance (over 13,000 surveys) in the Mexican Caribbean, not even one has been reported.
Yup, I'll bet it was a Sargassum triggerfish, or a juvenile Gray.

I did report a Red-Tooth Trigger at BHB (of course that is not the Mexican Caribbean), I am guessing it was an aquarium release. Thinking the OP encountered a Gray Triggerfish. Not heard of Sargassum Triggerfish being aggressive like Grey Triggerfish.

 

[tursiops]

I did report a Red-Tooth Trigger at BHB (of course that is not the Mexican Caribbean), I am guessing it was an aquarium release. Thinking the OP encountered a Gray Triggerfish. Not heard of Sargassum Triggerfish being aggressive like Grey Triggerfish.

Ha! I looked at the BHB REEF report, and saw one Blue Triggerfish report; I guess that was yours! It was from an expert surveyor, not a novice, so had some credibility. Yes, probably an aquarium release.

 

[Pipehorse]

Ha! I looked at the BHB REEF report, and saw one Blue Triggerfish report; I guess that was yours! It was from an expert surveyor, not a novice, so had some credibility. Yes, probably an aquarium release.

Two days later a team from Frost Science Museum (after obtaining proper permit since BHB is a no take zone) came up to capture it. Took all of fifteen minutes to wrangle into a net. I believe the fish currently resides at Frost Science Museum in an invasive species exhibit.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I think it might have been in Roatan that a chunk of my wife's fin was removed by a defensive triggerfish. What was amazing was that it was not at the edge of the fin; that fish took a fairly circular bite right out of the fin. She has a pic somewhere.

 

[DandyDon]

I have had damselfish nip at me when I come too close to where they are nesting.

Aren't Sergeant majors the most aggressive?

I believe the fish currently resides at Frost Science Museum in an invasive species exhibit.

Odonus niger? I saw a little one in the Texas Flower Garden once.

 

[tursiops]

Odonus niger? I saw a little one in the Texas Flower Garden once.

No reports of that fish in the REEF.org survey data base for the Flower Gardens....2400+ surveys.

In fact, in the entire Tropical Western Atlantic, there is just one sighting of that fish, and it was at the Blue Heron Bridge, cited above.