Parrotfish were given their common name because they have a
mouth that looks like
the beak of a parrot and because they are so colorful!
Parrotfish sleep by night. One species,
Cetoscarus bicolor,
forms a mucus coating which takes about 30 minutes to secrete.
This mucus layer is made for
protection, it holds in their scent so that they can not be
detected by predators. They also sleep in the nooks of the
coral
for more protection.
One diver wrote about how he actually
picked up a Parrotfish when it was sleeping and the fish did not
even move, so he set it back in its spot and it continued to
sleep. Talk about heavy sleepers!
Their favorite type of coral is said to be
pink coral. Who knew that Parrotfish and I share the same
favorite color?!
When divers seen Parrotfish hovering they do not stay
horizontal, they are either “standing” on their tails or their
heads.
