Whitespotted surgeonfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Whitespotted surgeonfish |
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The whitespotted surgeonfish (Acanthurus guttatus) is a cool fish that lives in the ocean. It's a type of reef tang and belongs to the fish family called Acanthuridae. You can find these fish in shallow waters around coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region.
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What Does the Whitespotted Surgeonfish Look Like?
The whitespotted surgeonfish has a body that is deep and flat from side to side. Its main color is grey. This grey color gets darker towards its tail.
Its body is covered with many white spots. There is also a white stripe right behind its eye. This stripe goes from its gill cover up to the back of its neck. Another white stripe goes all the way around its body. This stripe is just behind its yellow fins on its belly.
Most of its other fins are dark. But its tail fin is a bit different. It's half pale yellow and half black. This fish has 9 spines and 27 to 30 soft rays in its top fin. Its bottom fin has 3 spines and 23 to 26 rays. The fins on its sides have 17 to 20 rays. This fish can grow up to about 26 centimeters (10 inches) long.
Where Do Whitespotted Surgeonfish Live?
The whitespotted surgeonfish lives in shallow waters across the Indo-Pacific area. Its natural home stretches from Mauritius all the way to southern Japan. It also lives near Indonesia and northern Australia.
In 2003, some of these fish were seen near Palm Beach, Florida. Their favorite places to live are exposed reefs and rocky shores. They often live in groups there. Their white spots might help them hide. They blend in with the bubbly, churned-up water in these areas.
What Do Whitespotted Surgeonfish Eat?
The whitespotted surgeonfish eats different kinds of algae. This includes stringy algae and hard, chalky algae. Algae are like the plants of the ocean. They are called primary producers because they make their own food using sunlight.
These fish are very important in the ocean's food web. By eating algae, they help move energy through the ocean's food chain. They connect the algae to other parts of the ocean's food system.
How Do They Reproduce?
In a place called American Samoa, whitespotted surgeonfish breed all year long. They lay their eggs in special channels on the reef. This usually happens when the sun is setting.
See also
In Spanish: Acanthurus guttatus para niños
