Picture this: You are a scuba diver who is looking for coral reefs. When you find it, you are dazzled by its beauty and colors galore. As well, the variety of animals found there are unbelievable. It is true, then. Coral reefs are one of the beautiful sights in the entire world. There's one to put the spotlight on, the parrotfish!
Description
Parrotfish are vivid fish that comes in a range of colors. They are brightly colored, ranging from reds to greens, blues and yellow, even blacks, grays, and browns. They have rows of tiny teeth that are fused together, forming a beak similar to parrots. This is the reason why they are called parrotfish. There are about 95 species of parrotfish, including the blue parrotfish and the rainbow parrotfish. They can grow …show more content…
Without them, coral reefs would've been a thing of the past. They remove algae from the reef, which helps the production of coral. At the same time, parrotfish grind up the coral rocks to create sand.
Parrotfish are nocturnal. At night, parrotfish wraps its body with mucus. This mucus smells and tastes bad. This keeps away predators such as moray eels and sharks.
A group of parrotfish is called a school. The juvenile parrotfish are in the inside while the adults are on the outside. The males are dominant and they challenge each other for dominance.
Habitat & Range
Parrotfish live in tropical reef systems around the world. They are found primarily in the world's oceans, but they also inhabit the Caribbean Sea and other subtropical waters. Some are common off the coast Mexico and California, as well as the Mediterranean Sea.
Diet
Parrotfish are herbivores. They will eat sea grasses, coral, and algae. Because of the parrotfish consuming the algae off the coral, the reef system is healthy and puts the ocean ecosystem in balance. They also eat microorganisms and coral polyps.
Predators &
Description
Parrotfish are vivid fish that comes in a range of colors. They are brightly colored, ranging from reds to greens, blues and yellow, even blacks, grays, and browns. They have rows of tiny teeth that are fused together, forming a beak similar to parrots. This is the reason why they are called parrotfish. There are about 95 species of parrotfish, including the blue parrotfish and the rainbow parrotfish. They can grow …show more content…
Without them, coral reefs would've been a thing of the past. They remove algae from the reef, which helps the production of coral. At the same time, parrotfish grind up the coral rocks to create sand.
Parrotfish are nocturnal. At night, parrotfish wraps its body with mucus. This mucus smells and tastes bad. This keeps away predators such as moray eels and sharks.
A group of parrotfish is called a school. The juvenile parrotfish are in the inside while the adults are on the outside. The males are dominant and they challenge each other for dominance.
Habitat & Range
Parrotfish live in tropical reef systems around the world. They are found primarily in the world's oceans, but they also inhabit the Caribbean Sea and other subtropical waters. Some are common off the coast Mexico and California, as well as the Mediterranean Sea.
Diet
Parrotfish are herbivores. They will eat sea grasses, coral, and algae. Because of the parrotfish consuming the algae off the coral, the reef system is healthy and puts the ocean ecosystem in balance. They also eat microorganisms and coral polyps.
Predators &