Creature Feature: Smooth Trunkfish

A kiss for you! Aren’t those perfect fish lips? We’re always happy to see a smooth trunkfish swimming around when we snorkel on coral reefs, though we have not, actually, been tempted to kiss one. Their coloration is beautiful, but these little guys are just so odd looking. First, as you can see, they’re shaped like triangles, narrow at the head and broad below. Second, they swim by fluttering fins that seem too short for the job. And then, of course, there’re those big pucker lips. But…they have a use! Trunkfish blow jets of water through their lips at the sand to uncover buried invertebrates, which they then eat. They can grow to nearly twenty inches long, but usually are about half that. If you want to see something really adorable, check out this picture of a juvenile trunkfish. Too cute!