Blackback butterflyfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blackback butterflyfish |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Chaetodon
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| Species: |
melannotus
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The black-backed butterflyfish (Chaetodon melannotus) is a beautiful species of butterflyfish. These colorful fish live in the warm waters of the Indo-Pacific area. You can find them from the Red Sea and East Africa all the way to Samoa, southern Japan, and across Micronesia.
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About the Black-backed Butterflyfish
The black-backed butterflyfish can grow up to about 18 cm (7 inches) long. They are known to live for a long time, sometimes up to 20 years!
Amazing Color Change
One cool thing about these fish is that they can change their color. When it's nighttime, or if they get scared, the top part of their body turns black. This black area will have two white patches. This helps them blend in or surprise predators.
Where They Live and What They Eat
Black-backed butterflyfish love to live around staghorn coral thickets. You won't see them as often in open parts of the reef. They usually swim in waters between 4 and 20 meters deep.
Social Life of the Butterflyfish
Most of the time, you'll see these fish swimming alone. But when it's time to have babies, they will swim in pairs. Younger black-backed butterflyfish are often found closer to shore. They might swim in pairs or in small groups.
What's for Dinner?
These fish mainly eat the soft parts, called polyps, of both soft and hard corals. They use their small mouths to pick at the coral.
Black-backed Butterflyfish in Aquariums
If you're interested in keeping fish, the black-backed butterflyfish is considered one of the easier types of butterflyfish to care for in an aquarium.
