Eumetazoametazoans
Identification
Lactoria cornuta (Trunkfish)
Location
Anilao, Luzon Island, Philippines
Caption
I suspect this pair of Long-Horned Cowfish are mates, since I have seen them together on numerous occasions in the same dive spot. Each one is about five inches in length. I presume they are named "cowfish" after the horns, since they don't have udders and don't "moo" (though they do grunt when held). When they're blowing into the sand looking for a meal you might say they were "grazing". Normally they avoid divers, but cowfish are fairly slow swimmers, barely able to swim faster than a diver. This was taken during a night dive when they're easier to approach.
- Subject
- Live Animal
- Type
- Photo
- Life Stages And Gender
- Adult/Sexually Mature
- Anatomy
- Coloration/Patterning :: Disruptive Coloration (Spots/Stripes)
- Anatomy
- Female
- Anatomy
- Male
- Behaviors
- Reproduction :: Mate Tending
- Anatomy
- Coloration/Patterning :: Cryptic
Contributors
Jeffrey N. Jeffords (photographer; copyright holder; identification)
Conditions of Use
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.