Bumphead Parrotfish

Photo: Mark Rosenstein · CC BY-NC

Bumphead parrotfish visit the shallow reef crest above the Walung wall in the early morning hours, when schools of up to 40 individuals arrive to graze on the dense coral plateau before retreating to deeper water. This species has been heavily hunted across the Pacific and finding large schools is an increasingly rare experience — Kosrae's enforced no-take zones have maintained a viable population. The sound of their ceratohyal teeth biting coral — audible from several meters away — is one of the most memorable sounds in Indo-Pacific reef diving.