Smooth Trunkfishes

86cm x 61cm
Cobra water mixable oils on textured board.

This is a species of box fish found on shallow reefs in the Caribbean. They produce a toxic substance called ostracitoxin and luckily for them it renders them inedible.Their body is triangular in shape with a narrow ridged back and wide base. Trunkfish feed on small molluscs, worms and sponges and expose this food by blowing jets of water into the sand with their pouting mouths.I observed these fascinating creatures in Bonaire.

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