Picasso triggerfish

The Picasso triggerfish, Rhinecanthus aculeatus or Blackbar triggerfish or Jamal is a triggerfish, up to 30 cm in length, found on reefs in the Indo-Pacific region. It was named after the Spanish painter Pablo Picasso due to the remarkable color pattern with yellow and blue stripes across the head.

Behavior

Picasso triggerfish live in the shallow flats and sandy areas of coral reefs where they eat just about anything (small fish, crustaceans, sea urchins, coral, worms, etc). They are always restlessly swimming around and can vigorously protect their territory against intruders, including divers, especially when guarding their eggs during reproduction season. Fortunately, their relative small size makes them much less dangerous than their larger brother the Titan triggerfish.