Queen Parrotfish

Photo: Al O'Donnell · CC BY-NC

Terminal phase males patrol defined territories across the reef crest, their turquoise and green patterning contrasting sharply against the cream sand. Their continuous grazing of algae-encrusted rock produces the white carbonate sand characteristic of the site's corridors — each large parrotfish can excrete hundreds of kilograms of sand per year. Their grazing prevents macroalgae from overgrowing the coral recruits regenerating across the plateau.