Table of Contents Coral Reef Cart Collection

SPECIMEN detailS

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  Distribution: Found worldwide in tropical waters.
  
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  Habitat: Found in shallow seaward reefs and lagoons. Rests during the day under ledges or plate corals. Commonly seen in caves and holes. Emerges at night to feed. Sometimes hovers high in the water.
  
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  Appearance: Length to 91 cm, weight to 2.8 kg. Has prominent 5-7 cm quill-like erectable spines over the head and body. Has very large eyes that help locate prey in the dark. Tough skin is scaleless. The teeth are fused together into a single unit creating a strong beak-like mouth capable of cracking the shells of snails, sea urchins, and hermit crabs.
  
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  Predators: This fish is eaten by large carnivorous fishes including the dolphinfish, wahoo, and sharks.
  
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  Reproduction and Development: The eggs drift with the current and hatch after five days. Larvae then continue to develop. Juveniles are pelagic until reaching 20 cm in length, after which they become benthic.
  
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  Conservation Status: The fish is not listed as endangered or vulnerable. Their bodies are sold as tourist novelties in some places. On some Pacific islands in the past the dried skins were used as war helmets. They are collected for aquariums.
  

Triggerfish

Specimens

GENERAL INFORMATION

Classification

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  Phylum Chordata, Subphylum Vertebrata, Class Actinopterygii, Order Tetraodontiformes, Family Balistidae
  

Distribution

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  Forty species of triggerfishes are found in tropical and subtropical seas throughout the world, but especially in the Indo-Pacific.
  

Habitat

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  They are mostly found on coral reefs in relatively shallow water.
  

Appearance and Behavior

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  Triggerfishes have a highly compressed body and close-fitting scales that provide a flexible armor. They are mobile, but not fast swimmers noted for providing propulsion by the undulations of the second dorsal and the anal fins, with an occasional boost from the pectorals. The caudal fin is mostly used as a rudder. Like their close relatives the surgeonfishes, they have spines on the caudal peduncle used to intimidate potential competitors and others. Their small eyes on top of their head rotate independently.
  
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  The common name comes from an interaction between the large first dorsal spine and the smaller second one behind. When the posterior spine is erect, it locks the strong first spine in place, wedging the fish into a protective space, perhaps a hole or under a rock, where a predator can rarely extract it. When the posterior spine is depressed, the anterior spine folds back easily, like taking a lock off a trigger.
  

Diet

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  Most are solitary diurnal predators that feed on invertebrates such as sea urchins, mollusks, crabs, other crustaceans and corals. The triggerfishes’ sharp teeth capture prey and their flattened teeth crush shells. Various triggerfishes may also eat algae, detritus, sponges, octopuses, and fishes.
  

Reproduction and Development

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  The sexes are separate and fertilization is external. The female lays demersal (deposited near the bottom of a body of water) eggs in a nest. Females or males may guard the nest depending on the species. Some triggerfish can be very aggressive when guarding their eggs.
  

Conservation Status

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  Some triggerfishes are collected for the aquarium trade.
  

To Notice

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  Notice that the jaw contains four teeth on either side while the upper jaw contains an additional set of six plate-like pharyngeal teeth.
  
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  Show the photos of triggerfishes. Suggest visitors try to spot them in the Main Coral Reef Tank.
  
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  Discuss how the vivid coloration may be of value on the coral reef.
  

Seahorses

Specimens

GENERAL INFORMATION

Classification

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  Phylum Chordata, Subphylum Vertebrata, Class Actinopterygii, Order Syngnathiformes, Family Syngnathidae, Hippocampus sp.
  
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  Comments apply to all species of the genus
  

Distribution

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  Indo-Pacific, Atlantic Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea
  

Habitat

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  Shallow tropical marine waters
  

Appearance and Behavior

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  Seahorses have a long and thin body enclosed in bony rings. They have a tube-like snout with a terminal mouth. Lacking pelvic fins, seahorses locomote with dorsal and pectoral fins and swim slowly in an upright posture. The caudal peduncle has evolved into a prehensile “tail” for grasping plants. Seahorses can be over 16 cm in length. They are often colored brown and may have lighter spots. Like most other syngnathids, seahorses may undergo color changes to blend with their surroundings, to indicate breeding readiness, or to indicate mood or stress.
  

Diet

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  Seahorses suck tiny planktonic prey, especially crustaceans, into their tube-like mouth. They locate prey with binocular vision.
  

Defensive Strategies

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  Evolutionarily, seahorses have sacrificed streamlining and speed for heavy armor. The bony plates that lie beneath the skin provide protection, but they limit the seahorse’s flexibility and movement Seahorses may change color to camouflage their appearance.
  

Reproduction and Development

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  Seahorses dance and sway as they court and bond with their mates. The female then lays her eggs in the male’s brood pouch, where they are incubated and hatched. When the young are expelled, they are capable of swimming.
  

Conservation Status

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  Many populations of seahorses are very endangered due to collection as an ingredient in the traditional Asian, especially Chinese, pharmacopeia. Over 95% of the seahorses caught per year are used in traditional Chinese medicines to treat a variety of ailments from impotence and infertility to asthma and skin diseases. The present rate of harvest is unsustainable. Possible remedies that preserve both seahorses and useful medicines may be the synthetic production of these potions or an increase in farmed seahorse populations. Seahorses are also collected for the souvenir and aquarium trades.
  
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  Steinhart’s seahorses were reared in captivity as part of a cooperative breeding program between many public aquariums.
  

To Notice

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  The seahorse seems to be a combination of different creatures: the head of a horse, the grasping tail of a monkey, the rotating eyes of a chameleon, and the pouch of a kangaroo.
  
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  Notice the rigid body enclosed in bony rings.
  
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  Notice the tube-like mouth used for sucking in planktonic prey.
  
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  Compare the seahorse to another fish on the cart such as the pufferfish and explain how they are related/classified as bony fish.