Bumphead parrotfish

Photo: Andy Pittway · CC BY-NC

Schools of up to 40 bumphead parrotfish visit Menjangan's reef crest in the early morning, biting large chunks from live coral with their fused beak-like teeth. Each fish excretes up to 100 kg of white coral sand per year, making the species one of the most significant sand producers on Indo-Pacific reefs. Their presence at Menjangan signals an intact, unfished reef system.