Here is a little info about the ubiquitous parrotfish, who munch coral and create the sand in the sea as a result. A lot of the sand in the ocean is coral digested and passed by parrotfish. Yes, that wonderful beach you are sitting on is parrotfish poo. Ha, Ha!! It was a pretty and sleepy parrotfish on a sandy sea floor that inspired our latest leggings:
Ocean Dreams Parrotfish Leggings
Parrotfish are hard to miss as they zip along the reef, crunching some coral, pooping a sandstorm and adding beautiful shocking blues and other colors to the fish world. In the Pacific there are many species ranging from about as small as a man's hand to huge, with bumphead parrotfish reaching over 100 pounds and looking like school of Volkswagens roaming down the reef. Parrotfish are found worldwide in tropical seas and are a favorite photo subject.
Parrotfish are diurnal, that is, they do their thing during the day and sleep at night. Night divers often see a brilliant blue fish tucked way back in the protection of the coral sleeping away... a sleeping parrotfish. The lights usually dazzle them and they just sit there, somewhat blinded, and wait for the diver to swim on so they can go back to sleep.
Not only do parrotfish usually find a safe place in the reef where night predators like sharks and eels won't get them, they create a mucous bubble that they sleep in. This gives them added protection.
The detail in a parrotfish's body and fins makes for great macrophotography. If you are lucky enough to find a sleeping parrotfish somewhat exposed so you can get your lens close, the detail in their bodies and their fins makes beautiful imagery.
Parrotfish Fin Detail
We used one of my photos of a fin of a sleeping parrotfish resting on the sea floor in the Piti Marine Preserve in Guam for our new products. The south end of the preserve is a shallow channel that is a favorite of night divers and I was able to get a beautiful image that we thought would make some really nice leggings, shirts, shorts and other cool stuff like iPhone cases.
Parrotfish have a hard set of front teeth that resembles a beak, thus the name as they resemble parrots in the head area. By day, they eat corals and other marine growth and are great to watch. They never seem to sit still for long so they are always entertaining for divers and snorkelers to observe.
Click the links to see more pretty Parrotfish apparel:
