Cool Fact: Coral Eater

[The Learning Kingdom]

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    The Learning Kingdom's Cool Fact of the Day for April 5, 1999
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                 What kind of fish eats stony coral?

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The parrotfish is a reef dweller that takes bites out of rock-hard
corals, and pulverizes the stony material with its hard beak.  It
swallows the resulting mixture of coral sand, algae, and living coral
polyps.

By breaking off chunks of coral, the parrotfish plays an important
role in the coral reef ecosystem.  It removes surface algae, which
might otherwise completely swallow up the reef.  The chewed-up coral
sand passes through the fish and is released, to fall in drifts
between the reefs.  It slowly dissolves, and becomes available for use
by growing corals.

Although the parrotfish chews up living corals, it is no threat to the
coral reefs.  However, overfishing of parrotfishes by humans is a
threat.  In some places, parrotfish are now protected from fishing, to
preserve the ecological balance of the reefs.

More about parrotfish:
http://www.usdivers.com/fun_facts/pfish.htm

Another Cool Fact about parrotfish:
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1997/12/04.html


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