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Stoplight parrotfish

Sparisoma viride

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Fun Facts

Parrotfish have beak-like mouths, perfect for eating algae and corals, including hard corals with stiff skeletons. They crush hard corals with special teeth in their throats, digest the soft coral tissue and the algae inside it, and poop out the hard coral skeleton as white sand!

Species Type:

Fishes

Common Name(s):

Stoplight parrotfish

Size:

These fish can reach lengths of 22 inches (55 centimeters) and weigh around 3.5 pounds (1.6 kilograms).

Diet:

These colorful fish graze on algae and corals growing on rocks and reefs.

Range & Habitat:

In the western Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, stoplight parrotfish live in shallow water coral communities.

Details:

These bright teal colored fish have rounded faces and forked tails. They have highlights of pink and yellow along their tail, gill slit, head and fins.