Purple tang facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Purple tang |
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The purple tang (Zebrasoma xanthurum), also known as the yellowtail tang, is a beautiful fish that lives in the ocean. It belongs to a family of fish called Acanthuridae. This family includes surgeonfishes, unicornfishes, and other tangs. These fish are famous for a sharp, scalpel-like spine near their tail! The purple tang is special because it only lives in the northwestern part of the Indian Ocean.
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About the Purple Tang
The purple tang got its scientific name, Zebrasoma xanthurum, in 1852 from an English zoologist named Edward Blyth. The "xanthurum" part of its name means "yellow tail." This is a perfect description because this fish has a bright yellow tail!
Purple tangs are related to another fish called the longnose tang. They are all part of the Zebrasoma group.
What Does It Look Like?
The purple tang has a deep, flat body. It has a snout that sticks out and tall fins on its back and belly. Its body is about half as tall as it is long.
Adult purple tangs are a deep blue or purple color. This bright color makes their sunny yellow tail stand out even more! They have black spots on their head and the front of their body. These spots also go onto the fins nearby. The rest of their body has wavy black lines. Their front fins are yellow on the ends.
Younger purple tangs look a bit different. They have dark brown lines along their bodies. The tail fin of young fish is rounded. As they grow up, their tail can become slightly rounded or flat.
Purple tangs can grow up to about 36 centimeters (14 inches) long. But most of the time, they are around 10 centimeters (4 inches) long.
Where Do Purple Tangs Live?
Purple tangs live only in the northwestern Indian Ocean. You can find them in places like the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and around the Arabian Peninsula into the Persian Gulf. They also live near an island called Socotra.
These fish like to live in groups. They swim in areas with lots of coral or rocks. You can find them in waters up to 20 meters (65 feet) deep.
What Do Purple Tangs Eat?
Purple tangs are herbivores, which means they eat plants. They mostly graze on tiny green algae that grow on rocks and corals.
During the day, they swim around alone or in pairs, looking for food. When the sun starts to set, they stop eating. Then, they find a safe spot to sleep for the night. They often hide among corals or in small cracks in the rocks. Young purple tangs are very good at hiding among the corals to stay safe.
Conservation Status
The purple tang is sometimes caught for the aquarium trade. This means people keep them as pets in fish tanks.
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) looks at how many of these fish are left in the world. Globally, they say the purple tang is a "Least Concern" species. This means there are still many of them, and they are not in immediate danger.
However, in the Persian Gulf, it's a different story. The purple tang has a smaller area to live there. This area is being harmed by things like building on the coast. Because of this, the purple tang in the Persian Gulf is considered "Vulnerable." This means they could be in danger if their habitat keeps getting destroyed.
