Bullethead Parrotfish

Chlorurus sordidus

Guardian: Adelina Nelson

It is said that if you removed parrotfish from the reef, then the reef would disappear. Not only do the parrotfish remove the algae that competes with coral, the bite marks cut back into pure rock and create the perfect space for new corals to attach.

Without these spaces, larval coral would simply keep searching and they would either get caught or starve and weaken and fall to the bottom.