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Queen Triggerfish (Balista vetula), Long Cay, Belize, Central America. They are brightly colored fish of the family Balistidae. Marked by lines and spots, they inhabit warm coastal waters of the Atlantic, Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific. They have a small pectoral fin, fused to one spine. Unlike the spine of a filefish, the spine of the triggerfish can be held in place by a second spine to make the fish more threatening to the predator. Their small eyes, situated on top of their large head, can be rotated independently. They have tough skin, covered with rough rhomboid-shaped scales that form a tough armour on their body. A big, angular-shaped head extends into a snout with strong jaws and sharp teeth, made for crushing shells. Each jaw contains a row of eight teeth, while the upper jaw contains another set of six plate-like teeth. Some species of triggerfish are known to make a sound akin to a grunt or snarl when taken out of the water.
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