Parrotfish and Angelfish

Parrotfish and Angelfish
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Notes

Parrotfish get their name not only from their distinct colouration, but also from the beak-like mouth which is used for eating coral, which is scraped and then crushed. A parrotfish can apparently grind a ton of coral a year - an important contribution to the natural reef-maintanence process! If you snorkel quietly, you can clearly hear the sound of the Parrotfish eating. They are the largest of the reef fish, growing to over a metre. It can be quite a startling sight seeing 1 one metre parrotfish charging past, within a few inches of you - before you remember that they are not carnivorous. These are also confused fish - they can change sex from Female to Male, which is accompanied by a dramatic external change.

Angelfish are beautiful and graceful fish - but quite secretive, and some prefer deeper water. They are larger than many people expect - some growing to nearly half a metre!

Comments on images (numbered from top left to bottom right):

1/ A Bridled Parrotfish, showing its "beak" and beautiful colouring. Note the Cleaner Wrasse that is being employed to clean parasites. The Parrotfish is tilting over slightly whilst being cleaned. Often in the Maldives, you can see the "false" cleaner wrasse - which is actually a different species that mimics the cleaner, but gets rejected when it fin-nips rather than eating parasites. Also - if you look carefully, you will see a squirrelfish hiding in the bottom-left corner.
2/ A female Sheephead Parrotfish, and another species partly concealed.
3/ A Shabby Parrotfish. Note the coral.
4/ Another Parrotfish, here among a shoal of Black Durgeon Triggerfish (picture from Hawaii).
5/ A Dusky Parrotfish - a species which is deep maroon and purple rather than the more common green/blues. Note the red rings around the eyes.
6/ A male Sheephead Parrotfish.
7/ A Regal Angelfish - one of the most striking and Beautiful of Maldives Reef fish.
8/ An Emperor Angelfish.

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