Bumphead Parrotfish

Photo: Joey Latsha-Gamboa · © all rights reserved

Bumphead parrotfish are the largest parrotfish species and among the most important bioeroders on coral reefs, using their massive fused beaks and calcified foreheads to ram and bite off chunks of live coral and dead rock. A single school of bumpheads can produce hundreds of kilograms of sand per year through the excretion of digested coral limestone, actively creating the white sandy beaches associated with tropical islands. Their schools at Aldabra's West Channels are among the largest remaining in the Indian Ocean.