THEY KEEP CORALS HEALTHY
Manila Bulletin Publishing Corp
THE WILD SIDE
Practically all social media posts portray Parrotfish as “shepherds” who eat hair algae, preventing them from taking over Coral reefs. “Most Parrotfish don’t really eat visible algae. They graze on microscopic bacteria which live on reef surfaces, including rocks, Corals, and even seaweed. Some species also eat live Coral, which are converted to sand,” explains Kent Sorgon, an ichthyologist or Fish scientist. A large Parrotfish like a Bumphead (Bolbometopon muricatum), for example, can transform a ton of live Coral into white sand each year.