Redtail Butterflyfish (Chaetodon collare)

Also known as Brown Butterflyfish, Collare Butterflyfish, Collared Butterflyfish, Coralfish, Headband Butterflyfish, Pakistani Butterfly, Pakistani Butterflyfish, Red-tailed Butterfly, Red-tailed Butterflyfish, White Collar Butterflyfish, White Collared Butterflyfish

Description

Also known as Brown Butterflyfish, Collare Butterflyfish, Collared Butterflyfish, Coralfish, Headband Butterflyfish, Pakistani Butterfly, Pakistani Butterflyfish, Red-tailed Butterfly, Red-tailed Butterflyfish, White Collar Butterflyfish, White Collared Butterflyfish.

Found in pairs or schools, over reef edges and slopes of coral reefs.
They feed on coral polyps.
Length - 18cm
Depth - 1-20m
Widespread Indo-West Pacific

Butterflyfishes have very fine hair like teeth that enable them to pick out small organisms inaccessible to most other fish for eating.
They thrive mainly on a diet of coral polyps, tentacles of featherdusters and Christmas-tree worms. As these food sources all zap back into their shells, butterflyfishes need to be able to hover motionless while picking at the coral and to dart swiftly over short distances to get the worm before it retracts. They do this by using their Pectoral fins as oars to brake, sprint, turn and even reverse. Ref: https://www.fishbase.se/summary/7803

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