Life Story-
What crazy things happen in their lifetime?
Parrotfish are known for being protogynous
hermaphrodites, meaning that although they start out as either
male or female when they age the females may become males!
Parrotfish start out life with both of the male and female
reproductive parts! The ability to change their sex is an
assurance that no matter what the females will have a male to
reproduce with and continue on the life cycle.
Juvenile parrotfish are generally a plain dark
color. They are patterned in one of three ways: striped, bullseye,
or altogether dark. At this point in their lives the parrotfish
tries to find a school/group to fit into. This is very important
for their safety because they are less likely to be victims when
in a group of individuals. The reasoning behind this is that
predators get confused at which individual parrotfish to go
after. When finding a group they look for fish that look like
themselves because if you are the odd one out you will be a
predator's target! Fish with stripes hang out with other fish
with stripes, those with bullseyes find others with that
pattern, and those that are only colored dark either go with the
striped or other dark fish. Larger juveniles tend to swim in
larger groups with the other larger fish. Small fish swim with
those matching their size or with the medium sized fish. Group
sizes range from three members to eleven members. Most often
juveniles join groups with three to five members, even though
they have for protection with more members. They most likely do
this because then there is less competition for food.
After the juvenile stage parrotfish become
initial adults. Their color pattern changes along with their
status
change. Female adults are a reddish brown color with
white spots leading to the tail and red marks surrounding the
mouth. Females may turn into males at this point, some do, but
not all. The largest females turn into the terminal stage of the
parrotfish's life which is the supermale! Supermale adults have
blue bodies with yellow/orange centers; this specific coloration
shows that they are now male and attracts the females to them.
Reproduction-
Where do baby parrotfish come from?
Only adults are able to reproduce, whether they are in their
initial or terminal phase. When the act of spawning occurs,
often at dusk, a group of females will gather together to lay
their eggs. The adult males then fertilize the eggs. In the case
of the supermales; they often
attract a group of females in which they are the only ones to
fertilize the eggs in their group. All the eggs are laid
purposefully in an area where they will be taken by the ocean
currents. This is to make sure that they are distributed far, so
that their species is in many areas.
Go back home.
