Balistoides viridescens

Behavior:

The Titan triggerfish is a solitary diurnal, and highly industrious reef dweller. It is famous for its “heavy machinery” approach to feeding, often flipping large rocks, stirring up deep sand, or biting off chunks of branching coral to reach hidden prey like sea urchins and crabs. While generally wary of humans, their behavior shifts dramatically during nesting season. Females guard their egg pits with legendary ferocity; they establish a cone-shaped territory extending from the nest toward the surface and will aggressively charge—and often bite—any diver or snorkeler who enters it.

Predators:

Sharks and large jacks (mainly targeting juveniles).

Did you know?

Divers who find themselves being chased by a Titan should swim horizontally away; because their territory is a cone widening toward the surface, swimming upward only keeps you inside the “danger zone” longer.