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parrot fish

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: parrot fish
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Parrot fish (Calotomus)
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Parrot fish (Calotomus) (credit: Douglas Faulkner)
Any of about 80 species (family Scaridae) of slender, blunt-headed, deep-bodied fishes found on tropical reefs. They are often brightly coloured and have large scales. The fused teeth form a "beak" used to scrape algae and the soft part of coral from reefs. Platelike teeth in the throat grind the ingested food and bits of coral. Some species grow to 4 ft (1.2 m) long and weigh 45 lb (20 kg). The Indo-Pacific surf, or rivulated, parrot fish (Callyodon fasciatus) grows to 18 in. (46 cm) or more. The queen parrot fish (Scarus vetula) is an Atlantic species.

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more