Bicolor Parrotfish (Cetoscarus bicolor)

This parrotfish is found in clear lagoons and seaward reefs of the Indo-Pacific: from the Red Sea north to Izu Island and south to the Great Barrier Reef. The photo on the top is the juvenile color phase of this beautiful fish. During it's life it will go through several changes in color patterns as it grows and can even change from female to male if needed.  The photo on the bottom is of a mature male.

Parrotfishes get their name from powerful cutting-edged beaks, formed of fused incisor like jaw teeth. Parrotfishes are grazers, like cows and goats, except that they feed on coral reefs. They use their beaks to nip pieces of large algae and to scrape algae and sponges from rocky bottoms. When Parrotfishes feed, the noise of their teeth scraping rock can be easily heard. Parrotfishes produce a lot of the worlds sandy beaches by scraping little bits of calcium off hard corals. The waves then wash it up to the beach.

Parrotfishes also have an interesting method of sleep - yes fish do sleep! When they sleep they will often lie on the bottom near a coral crevice and secrete a mucous cocoon. This cocoon disguises their scent. It effectively removes some nocturnal hunters, like the Whitetip Reef Shark's, greatest advantage, that of smelling prey before it can see the prey.