Bumphead Parrotfish

Photo: woodratchuck · CC BY-NC

Schools arrive at first light to feed on the coral garden's encrusting Porites and Acropora colonies, the sound of their bites carrying clearly through the water. Each individual can consume hundreds of kilograms of coral skeleton annually, excreting it as the fine white sand that accumulates in Lankayan's lagoons. The species is a reliable indicator of reef health and low anthropogenic pressure.