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Parrotfish
A colourful coral cleaner
It can't squawk a greeting like its avian namesake, but this parrotfish certainly seems to be saying hello. Like parrots, parrotfish depend on their powerful beaks to feed. While parrots use theirs as nutcrackers, parrotfish use their tooth-lined beaks to scrape seaweed and sponges from hard corals. These deep cleans are essential for the health of the coral reef, making parrotfish a keystone species in the Great Barrier Reef and other threatened locales.
A colourful coral cleaner
It can't squawk a greeting like its avian namesake, but this parrotfish certainly seems to be saying hello. Like parrots, parrotfish depend on their powerful beaks to feed. While parrots use theirs as nutcrackers, parrotfish use their tooth-lined beaks to scrape seaweed and sponges from hard corals. These deep cleans are essential for the health of the coral reef, making parrotfish a keystone species in the Great Barrier Reef and other threatened locales.
Parrotfish use their rough beaks to scrape tasty seaweed off of corals – think of them as the caretakers of the reef.
© Georgette Douwma / Stone / Getty Images 2026-09-11 08:45:51 :