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The day is almost over and I have barely accomplished anything, but there is still time for a startling visual post about triggerfish! Here are all three known species of the aggressive genus Pseudoballistes.
The first is Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus (AKA the yellow margin trigger or pineapple trigger) which lives throughout tropical reefs of the IndoPacific.
The second, a real stunner, is Pseudobalistes fuscus (AKA the “blue triggerfish” or “rippled triggerfish“) lives in the same range. It is even more aggressive than the pineapple triggerfish and many divers just swim away from blue triggerfish on sight so as to avoid painful bites. But look at that gorgeous pattern of blue labyrinths on their body!
The third is Pseudoballistes naufragium (“the stone triggerfish”) which lives in the Eastern Pacific from Baja down to Chile. This is the largest triggerfish in the ocean growing to a size of up to 1 meter 1 meter (3.5 ft) in length.
Usually my ocean posts end in portentous warnings and sadness, but all of these triggerfish are clever aggressive generalists who are doing well (and will savagely attack you if you mess with them). They sound practically human! (but maybe don’t tell them I said that)
Orange-lined Triggerfish (Balistapus undulatus) photo by
Today we bask in the tropical glory of a brilliantly colored (albeit temperamental) fish from my favorite family of fish, the Balistidae. This is the orange-lined triggerfish (Balistapus undulates). This aggressive reef fish is the only member of its genus (possibly because it attacked and destroyed all of its relatives). It lives throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific with all manner of horrifying sharks, marine crocodiles, and fishing humans, but it seems to care little and is noted not just for its extravagant color but also for its brash highly territorial character.
Balistapus undulatus (from fishes of Australia.net)
The orange-lined triggerfish is an omnivore. It mostly eats invertebrates such as mollusks, sponges, echinoderms, and corals (the fish crunches off the rocklike coral tips with its fearsome beak—which it also uses to bite through mollusk shells) but, when the opportunity arises it also eats marine algae and other fish. When it takes bites out of divers it is probably defending its territory and not expanding its diet. Triggerfish have eyes which move independently of each other so they can keep track of everything going on in their lively reef habitats. For the same reason, they have excellent color vision. They are long-lived and clever. Different individuals have different personalities and habits.
Balistapus undulatus off the Similan Islands of Thailand (photo by Thierry Rakotoarivelo)
The fish is green with brilliant orange stripes and orange/yellow translucent fins. It grows to 30 centimeters (1 foot) long. Like other triggerfish, it has a powerful erectile spine in its dorsal fin. This spine lies in a groove in the fish’s body but can be locked in place when the fish is threatened. If the fish is in open water this means that a predator must swallow a nasty spike, but if the triggerfish is near coral or rocks (which it nearly always is) it can wedge itself beneath and then lock itself inextricably in place. A predator must try to pull the triggerfish out while contending with the sharp beak.
The juvenile orange-lined triggerfish is triangular so that it is unpleasant to swallow and even more effective at wedging itself in crevices
Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in the suburbs and towns
Ferrebeekeeper has always been renowned for its unabashedly pro-turkey policies and stances (we are talking here about the large galliforme bird from North America—not the nation in Asia-Minor). It is therefore this blog’s duty to look into the rash of negative stories which have recently been circulating through the media about bad behavior from these magnificent birds and see what (if anything) can be determined.
Apparently wild turkeys have been attacking people across the nation (and messing with our domestic animals and our precious stuff, to boot). Emboldened by the ever growing size of wild turkey populations (and unaware of the true nature of humans), the birds are taking out their aggressions on churchgoers, children, and even armed officers of the law. Here is an especially fine collection of “turkey attack” videos gathered together by Gawker. Slightly more serious articles can be found here and here.
A homeowner attacked by a suburban wild turkey
The turkey attacks seem to be a result of turkeys coming into suburbia (the wild turkeys of the farmlands and the forests know quite well to fear the fell hand of humankind). For all their fine qualities, turkeys (like humans) are territorial creatures. Additionally, like humans, some turkeys are more aggressive or fearless than others. The convenience of factory farming (and humankind’s mastery over domesticated strains of turkeys) has conditioned some suburbanites to think of the birds as fat fluffy simpletons, but the stereotype is far from accurate. Wild toms can stand 4 feet tall and weigh up to14 kilograms (30 lbs). The birds have powerful legs with razor-sharp spurs and doughty wings (which spread to six feet). The scary dinosaurlike quality of some of those gawker clips, illustrates the power, fearlessness, and intelligence of the creatures (which have evolved to be perfectly at home in the woodlands, plains, and swamps of America).
A wild turkey on a car in Burlington
The suburbs are lacking the predators which traditionally hunted wild turkeys and they are likewise lacking the human hunters who nearly drove the birds to extinction. Turkeys meet non-threatening suburbanites and then began to regard people as fellow turkeys. Unfortunately, wild turkey society is much like corporate America and involves lots of one-upsmanship, dominance displays, and outright threats (all so that dominant turkeys can rise to the top and obtain preferential mates and resources). If you are attacked by wild turkeys you need to threaten them back and overmatch their displays with over-the-top sounds and movements. Do not feed wild turkeys! Wild turkeys can see colors and they have a particular dislike for red (which plays an important part in their mating rituals and contests). All of these turkey misunderstandings have happened because turkeys have accidentally assumed that we are the same as them (and we have sometimes assumed they are the same as us). Turkeys and humans are indeed very much alike: both species are clever, territorial, aggressive, bipedal, and omnivorous. In terms of sheer vindictive murderousness and cunning, however, humans vastly outstrip the birds. Please remember that if wild turkeys begin to play their mind games with you.
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