trumpetfish

[truhm-pit-fish]

noun

plural

trumpetfish ,

plural

trumpetfishes .

1. any of several fishes of the family Aulostomidae, having a long, tubular snout, as the slender, brown-flecked Aulostomus maculatus, inhabiting waters on both sides of the tropical Atlantic Ocean, having the habit of orienting vertically in the water and capturing its prey from that position.

Word History and Origins

Origin of trumpetfish¹

First recorded in 1660–70; trumpet + fish

Example Sentences

Dr. Matchette had heard reports of the trumpetfish's clever hunting technique.

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Found in tropical waters worldwide, trumpetfish are elongated creatures with long snouts, which they use to swallow small fish and shrimp.

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Similarly, when the trumpetfish model was attached to the side of a parrotfish model and pulled past the damselfish, the fish did not flee.

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We watched the nearly transparent vertical rods called trumpetfish hunt on the backs of parrotfish, blending innocuously into the herbivorous host before darting off for a kill.

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We got up close and personal with sea creatures, from moray eels and trumpetfish to sea turtles, sharks and stingrays.

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