WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Grecian Parrotfish

Sparisoma cretense

Also known as: Marzipan, Mediterranean Parrotfish

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2012
Adult
@SailingBenH · Crete, Greece · July 20141 / 2

Showing details for the adult stage. Switch stages to see how it differs.

01

Overview

Found foraging for food, in shallow waters, along rocky coastlines rich in algae and invertebrate 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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03

Habitat & where to find it

Where the adult stage lives, and where its photos were taken.

  • Range · Eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean
  • Exact location · 2
LIVES IN

Found foraging for food, in shallow waters, along rocky coastlines rich in algae and invertebrate growth.

04

Adult photos 2

05

Discussion

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    ALL STAGES
    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. familyScaridae
    2. genusSparisoma
    3. speciesSparisoma cretense (Linnaeus, 1758)

    SourcesWoRMSFishBase

    06

    More in the family

    Parrotfishes (Scaridae)