Good morning from Curacao! Here is a picture of a trumpetfish “Shadowing” or “Shadow Hunting”. This is a unique hunting technique that usually involves a trumpetfish (the long fish) slowly swimming behind or on top of a large herbivorous fish, using the larger fish as camouflage, then coiling its body into an s-shape and rapidly lunging at prey when an opportune moment to strike presents itself.

Trumpetfish are carnivores that feed on fish and crustaceans. They are ambush predators, so they rely on camouflage and stealth to allow them to get close to potential prey. They often assume a head down position among the branches of soft rods or sea whips and their bodies sway back and forth in the current with the flexible branches in an attempt to hide from their prey. This vertical posture allows them to blend in with sea pens, sea rods and pipe sponges, providing useful camouflage. Trumpetfish capture their prey by quickly opening their large mouth to create suction that pulls in their prey, and because they can open their mouths as wide as the diameter of their bodies, they are capable of capturing large prey. MORE