Picasso triggerfish (lagoon triggerfish)

How it lives

The Picasso triggerfish lives on shallow reef flats and sandy lagoons. Adults swim openly but are usually shy, and young ones hide in rubble. It is territorial, makes a whirring alarm sound, and sleeps on its side. Males mate with several females, and the females guard the eggs. In one study in Okinawa, some adults kept the same patch of reef for more than 8 years.

Where it goes

Resident. It keeps a small territory in shallow water and does not migrate.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

Found from East Africa across northern Australia to Hawaiʻi, the Marquesas and Tuamotu islands, and north to southern Japan, from 0 to 50 m, usually in the shallows. It can be common in good shallow habitat, but it is not found at every reef.