The tuskfish.
A fish with a distinctive bite.
Choerodon fasciatus — harlequin tuskfish
Reef fish with character
Tuskfish belong to the wrasse family. The harlequin tuskfish pictured here, Choerodon fasciatus, lives around Indo-Pacific coral reefs. Its range includes Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia, southern Japan and Taiwan. [1] [2]
A striking set of teeth
The harlequin tuskfish is brightly colored, with distinctive blue teeth. Individuals around Australia’s reefs can be especially colorful. [1]
Tools under water
Other tuskfish species have been observed using rocks to open shellfish. In footage recorded in Palau, an orange-dotted tuskfish digs a clam from the sand, carries it to a suitable rock and strikes it against the surface to break it open. The rock acts as an anvil. [2]
This tool use was documented in an orange-dotted tuskfish, with separate reports involving blackspot tuskfish. These are different species from the harlequin tuskfish in the photograph. [2]