The
parrotfish utilizes its strong beak-like jaws to obtain its food from the coral
reef. Parrot fishes are a group of about 90 species traditionally regarded as a
family (Scaridae), but now often considered a subfamily (Scarinae) of the
wrasses. They are very sociable during the day, however, when night falls the
fish separate from the school and search for dwellings in the coral where they
form a cocoon of mucus. The cocoon serves as protection from nocturnal
predators. They are found in relatively shallow tropical and subtropical oceans
throughout the world, displaying their largest species richness in the
Indo-Pacific. They are found in coral reefs, rocky coasts, and seagrass beds,
and play a significant role in bioerosion.
Quick
stats about Parrotfish:
- Parrotfish can often be noticed because they raise clouds of dust as they devour coral.
- Parrotfish rely on the sun to navigate.
- Divers swimming by reefs may hear parrotfish because of the noise they make while eating.
- At night the parrotfish school breaks up and each enters its own crevice to sleep.
- Although its main diet is algae and seaweed, the parrotfish has been known to literally eat the coral reef.
Scientific
classification of Parrotfish
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Superclass: Osteichthyes
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Labroidei
Family: Scaridae
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