Moorish Idol

Photo: congonaturalist · CC BY-NC

Among the most iconic of Indo-Pacific reef fish, Moorish idols school in dozens across Nosy Tanikely's reef crest and wall, their elongated dorsal filaments streaming in the gentle current. They feed on sponges and benthic invertebrates with a tube-like snout, occupying a dietary niche that few other fish exploit. Despite their abundance on tropical reefs, they notoriously fail to survive in captivity — making the experience of seeing them in the wild all the more irreplaceable.