About Odonus niger (Rüppell, 1836)
Odonus niger, commonly known as the redtoothed triggerfish, is typically deep blue or purple. It has a light blue head with bluish-green markings, and glowing light blue margins on its tail lobes and fins. Like all members of the Balistidae triggerfish family, it has a lyre-shaped tail. Its mouth often appears to be grinning, and it holds tiny, needle-sharp red teeth; two teeth in its upper jaw are visible even when its mouth is closed. This is one of the more peaceful species in the triggerfish family, though it can become more threatening as it ages, and is capable of producing a grunting-type sound. It can change its color depending on its mood, food, feeding conditions, and water quality, shifting between shades of purple, blue, and bluish-green. Adults reach an average length of 9 to 12 inches, or 23 to 30 cm. Its pectoral fins are quite small, so it mostly steers with its dorsal and anal fins. This adaptation makes it highly maneuverable, and it uses these fins for a distinctive propeller-like style of propulsion that counts among the most unique swimming styles in the ocean. The redtoothed triggerfish is found across the widespread Indo-Pacific Ocean and the Red Sea. Its range extends from the east coast of Africa to the Marquesas and Society Islands, and reaches as far north as Southern Japan and as far south as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. This species has distinct mating pairing. Individuals gather at mating grounds where males establish territories, then build nests to hold their eggs. Females care for the eggs, and both males and females guard the eggs until they hatch. While they breed successfully in the wild, they cannot breed in aquariums.
