WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Azure Parrotfish

Scarus compressus

Also known as: Galapagos Parrotfish

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2012
Adult
@feveleen · Galapagos Islands, Ecuador · March 20201 / 1
01

Overview

Found singly, pairs, or in schools, foraging for food, over boulder strewn slopes, of stony coral reefs, rich in algae growth.

Parrotfish are hermaphrodites and live in harems with a dominant male. They are not territorial, living and feeding in harmony with other species.
Their teeth are fused into powerful beaks which are used for grabbing filamentous algae from dead coral, often found feeding in a cloud of sediment.
At night parrotfish make a sleeping bag out of slime bubbles for protection against predators.
These beautiful fish whose males usually outshine the females for colour also change dramatically from juvenile to adult.

02

How to identify

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Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Eastern Pacific
  • Country only · 1
LIVES IN

Found singly, pairs, or in schools, foraging for food, over boulder strewn slopes, of stony coral reefs, rich in algae growth.

04

Adult photos 1

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Discussion

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    ALL STAGES
    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. familyScaridae
    2. genusScarus
    3. speciesScarus compressus (Osburn & Nichols, 1916)

    SourcesWoRMSFishBase

    06

    More in the family

    Parrotfishes (Scaridae)