The underwater life in
the Red Sea is very rich, as There are 2,148 identified species of fish and although
that this number continues to rise because of the increase in the monitoring
activity done by the Red Sea reserves. some few species are considered to be vulnerable
or threatened.
One of the distinguished
fish species in the area is the Parrot Fish. It'. They have numerous tiny teeth
arranged in a tight formation along the outside of their jaws forming a
parrot-like beak and they all display beautifully bright colors that’s why they
have been named upon the Parrot bird.
Parrot fish species has at
least 80 different types that are a subfamily of the Wrasses and they are
usually found on reefs or sea grass beds. They are active during the day and
hide in the reef at night. As they rest
they produce a transparent smelly cocoon to help in hiding them from
predators.
The size of the adult
fish varies between 30 and 50cm length, although, some species are in length of
one meter or a few more and they live in schools.
The parrot fish is a herbivorous
but sometimes its' diet extends to some reef organisms so it is not a main
vegetarian organism.
Their population is a
great asset to any reef as they help to protect the coral from being
overwhelmed by algae and because of their powerful beaks they are able to
digest algae topped reef rocks.
Snorkelers, divers and
fishers should avoid targeting parrot fish because of their importance to the
reef ecosystem.