Page 158 - (DK) Super Shark Encyclopedia: And Other Creatures of the Deep

SLIMY COCOON

CRAFTER

PARROTFISH

The parrotfish makes the most of the coral reef—
getting not just food from this ocean habitat but shelter
too. It gnaws away at the coral with a sharp parrotlike
beak. The soft living parts of the coral are nutritious, but
the rocky parts pass out of its body as sand. At night the
parrotfish sleeps in a safe crevice. Here, some species
release a special kind of slime from their mouth and use
it for making their bed. They spread it out like a blanket
until it covers their entire body in an underwater cocoon
as extra protection against predators.

AT A GLANCE

• SIZE 1–4¼ ft (0.3–1.3 m) long,
depending on the species
• HABITAT Shallow ocean waters and
coral reefs
• LOCATION Worldwide, but especially
in the tropics
• DIET Coral and algae

STATS AND FACTS

WEIGHT OF CORAL CONSUMED
The crumbled coral
oz 4 8
eaten by parrotfish
contains nutritious
g 100 200 300
algae, but the hard
9¾ oz/275 g
rock passes through
(per day)
their bodies.
BITES OF CORAL PER MINUTE
0 10 20 30 40 TIME TO BUILD COCOON
1–35 (less for big fish,
45–60
more for smaller fish)
MIN

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