On virtually every dive we make, we encounter trumpetfish. They are interesting, entertaining, and quite varied in their color and behavior. They have a long, thin body and a trumpet-like mouth, for which they were named. They change their color and behavior to blend in with their surroundings. They are voracious predators of small fish. Sometimes we see them swimming head-down, tail-up, trying to be inconspicuous. At other times, they hide in rope sponges or soft corals. And they shadow other fish species, trying to hide behind them, hoping that they can approach their prey more easily.
Trumpet fish reach 3 feet long, but the ones in the photos below were about 18 to 24 inches in length. The photos were taken at depths of 15 to 45 feet.
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| Trumpetfish (facing left) looking for dinner on top of a mooring block |
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| Hiding in a rope sponge (facing right) |
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| Brown phase |
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| Blue snout |
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| All yellow |
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| Gray color, with mouth open |
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| Gray trumpetfish shadowing an initial phase queen parrotfish |
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| Yellow trumpetfish shadowing a Spanish hogfish |
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| Almost glued together |
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