parrot fish
parrot fish parrot fish... see scarus parrot fish (zo?l.), any fish of the genus scarus. one species (s. cretensis), found in the mediterranean, is esteemed by epicures, and was highly prized by the ancient greeks and romans... see parrot | ||||
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Parrot fish Definition from Encyclopedia Dictionaries & Glossaries
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Parrotfish
Parrotfish are mostly tropical, perciform marine fish of the family Scaridae. Abundant on shallow reefs of the Red Sea, Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, the parrotfish family contains ten genera and about 90 species.
Parrotfish are named for their oral dentition; their numerous teeth are arranged in a tightly packed mosaic on the external surface of the jaw bones, forming a parrot-like beak which is used to rasp algae from coral and other rocky substrates. Many species are also brightly coloured in shades of blue, green, red and yellow, but are not especially popular in aquaria. Although they are considered to be herbivores, parrotfish eat a wide variety of organisms that live on coral reefs. Some species, for example Bolbometopon muricatum may include corals (polyps) in their diet. Their feeding activity is important for the production and distribution of coral sands in the reef biome and can prevent algae from choking coral. The teeth grow continuously, making it hard to curb overgrowth in the aquarium. Ingested during feeding, coral rock is ground up by the pharyngeal teeth. After they digest this it is excreted as sand thus at times creating small islands.
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