What is a butterfly fishes habitat?
Butterflyfishes are a marine family occupying tropical to warm temperate waters. Some occur in the brackish water of estuaries and protected bays, commonly along steep parts of rocky reefs. They are most often found in shallow (less than 20 m) water near coral reefs, but some are deepwater dwellers descending to 200 m.
What do butterfly fish indicate?
The banded butterflyfish is just one of more than 130 species found throughout the world’s oceans. Large numbers of butterflyfishes are a good sign for the coral reef. The species needs extensive areas of healthy coral, and diminishing populations can indicate an issue with the coral’s health.
Do butterflyfish have teeth?
Maturity is reached at lengths around 5 inches (12 cm). The banded butterflyfish is also a predator, feeding on tube worms, sea anemones, corals, and occasionally snacking on crustaceans. The bristle nature of its teeth allows the butterfly to scrape at the invertebrates that make up its diet.
What is butterfly fish predators?
The reef butterflyfish has its share of predators. Larger reef fish like moray eels, snappers, and groupers, commonly consume this species. If threatened, the butterfly generally tries to swim away and hide, but if for some reason it can’t flee it often takes up a defensive posture.
Why is the butterfly fish endangered?
Butterfly fish live near the coral reefs which serve as hiding place from predators and as the source of food. Due to climate changes and ocean pollution in the last couple of decades, number of coral reefs and the number of butterfly fish decreased drastically. This group of fish is on the list of endangered species.
Are butterfly fish fast?
Many of the butterflyfishes’ characteristic stripes and markings are designed to provide camouflage and confuse predators into attacking their tail end rather than their head. They are also very agile & fast swimmers, helping them to escape quickly.
Can you keep multiple butterfly fish?
They are one of the very few fish who find a mate, and then hunt, live and travel together for life. The more territorial fish are usually fine in pairs or small groups of the same species, but mixing them with other Butterflyfish should generally be avoided.