Fun Bluespotted Cornetfish Facts For Kids

The bluespotted cornetfish (Fistularia commersonii) is a marine water fish species from the Fistulariidae family, alongside both pipefishes and seahorses.

The Fistularia commersonii bluespotted cornetfish, is also known as smooth cornetfish, the smooth flutemouth, and the reef cornetfish. They are native to Indo Pacific marine waters, are spotted throughout the Red Sea, and have successfully invaded the Mediterranean Sea.

They are categorized as a Least Concern species in the International Union For Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, but it is very difficult to estimate their population strength due to their vast range.

A bluespotted cornetfish is very much recognizable due to its slender body, long snout, amazing coloration, big eyes, and tail filament which is lined with sensory pores, helping them in detecting their prey. They feed on various bottom-dwelling small fishes, crustaceans, small-sized octopuses, and squids. Their long snouts come in handy while preying on small fishes.

To learn more, we have collected a set of interesting facts about bluespotted cornetfishes for you to read. You can also learn more about other fascinating wild animals and fishes by reading our articles on the spiny dogfish and catfish.

Bluespotted Cornetfish Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a bluespotted cornetfish?

The bluespotted cornetfish (Fistularia commersonii) is a species of marine fish from the Fistularia genus of the Fistulariidae family. They are also known as the smooth flutemouth, the reef cornetfish, and the smooth cornetfish.

What class of animal does a bluespotted cornetfish belong to?

A bluespotted cornetfish belongs to the Gasterosteiformes order of the Actinopterygii class of the Animalia kingdom.

How many bluespotted cornetfish are there in the world?

Due to its vast range and the fact that it is a reef dweller, the exact strength of the reef cornetfish population is currently unknown. They are also hailed as invaders of the Mediterranean Sea, with their territory now covering countries such as Greece, Turkey, and more.

Where does a bluespotted cornetfish live?

Bluespotted cornetfish are native to Indo Pacific marine waters. Their territories are widespread throughout the Red Sea, east Africa, Easter Island, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia.

In the American continent, they are spotted at the Gulf of California, Panama, the Galapagos Islands, Mexico, Ecuador, southern Canada, and Brazil.

In the last decade, it was documented that bluespotted cornetfishes have started invading the Mediterranean Sea, and their confirmed presence was reported from the Gulf of Gokova, Antalya Bay, Turkey, Sicily, and Greece. It is believed that their invasion happened through the Suez Canal back in 2000.

What is a bluespotted cornetfish's habitat?

Bluespotted cornetfish are marine water fish, primarily dwelling in seagrass beds, sand flats, rock habitats, and coral reefs. They swim inshore at a depth of up to 433 ft (132 m) and feed on bottom-dwelling fish and crustaceans.

Who do bluespotted cornetfish live with?

A bluespotted cornetfish is, primarily, a solitary creature although it forms a pair during its breeding season. They are often spotted preying on bottom-dwelling fish in small groups.

How long does a bluespotted cornetfish live?

Due to lack of data, it is currently unknown exactly how long bluespotted cornetfishes live.

How do they reproduce?

Similar to other fish, bluespotted cornetfish are oviparous creatures. Their breeding season takes place between the months of May and October, and August is considered to be the peak time for them to mate.

The duration of their incubation period is unknown, however, it mostly depends on the temperature of the water. An average water temperature of 71.6 F (22 C) is required for spawning to begin.

It has been observed that warmer water temperatures tend to result in better development of newborns. The newborn larvae are 0.2 in (6-7 mm) long.

What is their conservation status?

The bluespotted cornetfish (Fistularia commersonii) is categorized as a Least Concern species by the International Union For Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Though, being an oceanic and widespread species, their population trend and strength is difficult to measure.

Bluespotted Cornetfish Fun Facts

What do bluespotted cornetfish look like?

Bluespotted cornetfish are easy to identify due to the unique shape of their body. They possess an elongated and slender body, with large eyes and a tubular snout that is covered by greenish-gray and brown colored scales and two stripes made out of multiple electric-blue colored dots.

They are hailed as amazing predators and fierce invaders. They have shown their brilliance in detecting prey utilizing their sensory pores, which are located on their long tail filament.

How cute are they?

They have one of the most unique body shapes out of all species of fish. However, you may call it cute, after all, their snout large eyes and the electric blue stripes on their body are indeed attractive.

How do they communicate?

In general, they communicate via sounds, vibrations, and body movements. However, due to lack of research, the exact communication methods applied by bluespotted cornetfishes are yet unknown.

How big is a bluespotted cornetfish?

A bluespotted cornetfish is typically 47.2-78.4 in (120-200 cm) long. They are quite a lot larger than channel catfish.

How fast can a bluespotted cornetfish move?

Typically a bluespotted cornetfish swims at a slow rhythmic movement. Despite this, there is no verified information regarding the swimming speed of bluespotted cornetfishes.

How much does a bluespotted cornetfish weigh?

A bluespotted cornetfish can weigh up to 8.8 lb (4 kg). They are slightly lighter than the Kokanee salmon.

What are their male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names given to male and female bluespotted cornetfish.

What would you call a baby bluespotted cornetfish?

A baby cornetfish is called a 'fry' or 'larva'. They are typically 0.2 in (6-7 mm) long when they hatch out of their eggs.

What do they eat?

These reef dwellers feed on various bony fishes, octopuses, squids, cuttlefishes, and pelagic crustaceans. They are in their own league at detecting prey with the help of their long tail lined with sensory pores.

Are they poisonous?

There is no information currently available regarding cornetfishes being poisonous. However, they are excellent predators.

Would they make a good pet?

Most reef cornetfish are unintentionally caught by fishermen while targeting other bottom-dwelling species of fish. They are sold in markets primarily as fishmeal, but in some places, they are sold as aquarium fishes so technically, yes, they can be kept as a pet.

Did you know...

These Fistularia commersonii fish were named after Philibert Commerson, who was a French botanist, voyager, and naturalist who lived in the 18th century.

A bluespotted cornetfish is often seen roaming close to other fish, both in order to protect themselves, or to find opportunities for hunting as well.

Do they kill other fish?

Bluespotted cornetfish are often described as invaders of the Mediterranean Sea. In all of their habitats, they kill small bottom-dwelling fish and devour them.

Cornetfish vs trumpetfish?

A cornetfish (Fistularia commersonii) and a trumpetfish (Aulostomus chinensis) are both marine water fishes belonging to the same family. There are more similarities than differences between them. However, a cornetfish is larger in size and thinner than a trumpetfish, which can gain a length of up to 36 in (91.4 cm).

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other fish from our Swai fish facts and skate fish facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable bluespotted cornetfish coloring pages.

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