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Photo of the Day

March 24, 2008

Clown Triggerfish, Tukangbesi Islands, Indonesia, 2005

Photograph by Tim Laman

Found in coral-rich seaweed reefs in the Pacific Ocean, clown triggerfish, such as this patterned juvenile in Indonesia's Tukangbesi Islands, are master predators. The fish blow streams of water at the sand to expose hiding prey, then use their powerful jaws and rows of sharp teeth to crush through hard-shelled reef creatures such as sea urchins, clams, snails, and crabs.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish: Why Are Coral Reefs So Colorful?" May 2005, National Geographic magazine)

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