THE PARROT FISH
- Friendly Fins
- Dec 24, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 7
Good morning Friendly Fins, today we tell you about an incredibly cute fish that is impossible to miss among the beauties of the coral reef: the parrot fish.
There are about 80 species of parrot fish in the world! We won't talk about all of them, but we will talk about how we can distinguish them from other fish!
“I am among the most fascinating, I admit! My colors enchant even the least attentive eyes and my way of swimming brings a smile to anyone who meets me!”
Where does the parrot fish live?
They live in tropical waters all over the world, especially in coral reefs where the water is calm and the seabed is shallow. Lately, however, it happens to find it also in the Mediterranean both in sandy and rocky seabeds, coming to visit us from the Suez Canal.
How to recognize parrotfish
It is very colorful but very variable so Friendly Fins do not focus only on the color: they can be blue, red, purple, green, pink! With flashy shades like yellow, orange, green, blue!
They are called parrots because of their unique teeth.
“We have a real beak made up of about 1000 little teeth fused together that allow us to nibble on all the dead coral we find!”
Their way of swimming is unmistakable: they only move their pectoral fins up and down to perform movements that are a little bizarre and not very graceful but extraordinarily cute!
They are always busy swimming from one side of the Reef to the other, doing what?
“We don’t really know either! We’re always looking for food to munch on!”
And last but not least, they are the most hardworking sand makers on the Reef! A word to the wise is enough!
Their importance in the coral reef
Parrotfish are vital to the health of coral reefs, so much so that in some parts of the world, such as the Maldives, they are protected. Why?
What does parrot fish eat?
Parrotfish are herbivores and eat the algae that grow on the coral but they also inadvertently ingest the calcium carbonate (which the coral is made of). Unable to digest it, they will expel it, giving new sand that in turn will be used to create new coral.
They are part of a fundamental cycle that must not be interrupted.
"Don't underestimate our recycling capabilities! An adult parrotfish can produce almost 20 kg of sand per year!"
Parrotfish life cycle
Parrotfish are sequential hermaphrodites, that is, they change sex during their life, being born all female and becoming male. The adult male can then become dominant and will have his own harem in which he will fertilize the eggs of several females.
Like many fish and birds, parrotfish also differentiate between males and females in a particularly evident way. Often the males are larger and above all more colorful.
Watch out Friendly Fins because this is not a rule: in the parrotfish that live in the Mediterranean for example, the females are red with yellow spots and a large gray on the head, while the males are all gray.
The Parrotfish's Abilities
Clumsy and funny during the day, it becomes a master of hide and seek during the night; how?
It hides inside the ravines, among the corals, in small caves. Not content with that, it is also able to produce a bubble of mucus and enclose itself inside it.
"Why on earth should we lock ourselves in a big bubble that we ourselves produce every night?"
Even if it may seem very strange to us because we are not able to perceive it, the sea is full of smells!
Our friend the parrot fish knows this very well, as in addition to hiding so as not to be “seen”, it encloses itself inside this bubble, trapping its smell and therefore not allowing predators to “smell” it!
We can see all this cunning during night dives, do you like them? Discover them with us: click here!
The World's Weirdest Parrotfish
The rhinoceros parrotfish is certainly one of the most unique and strange fish that we can encounter underwater, if one does not know of its existence, one thinks it is a "slightly deformed" parrot. Why?
"We are like normal parrots with a blue-bluish coloration but much bigger! In fact we reach 50 kg in weight and we move in schools of a few dozen to a hundred specimens. Furthermore, the bump on our forehead is our distinctive character, this grows as we grow."
Difficult to spot, in my "career" I have only seen them twice:
snorkeling in the Maldives in 2 meters of water
diving on the ocean step of the Mozambique Channel at about 25 m depth.
So Friendly Fins, good luck!
How do we behave with the parrot fish?
The parrot fish is very easy to meet both during snorkeling and diving in tropical countries, it is a curious fish that willingly approaches and is not afraid of us, on average. It can be solitary but also in groups, especially the juveniles.
Let's avoid touching it or bothering it while it nibbles its coral but above all Friendly Fins let's avoid... EATING IT!
I know that when you go to tropical restaurants you never really know what fish you are eating but it is also true that restaurants often have a fish counter in front and the parrot fish is sadly recognizable despite the fading of its wonderful colors that we admire with such joy underwater.
"But it's dead now, it doesn't hold up as an excuse anymore! The only way to stop the supply is to not have the demand!"
You can be Friendly even out of the water, all it takes is a little attention!
I trust in you Friendly Fins
Sometimes mistaken for the parrotfish, we have another coral reef dweller that deserves to be known as he always wants to know us!
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