Bumphead Parrotfish - Bolbometopon muricatum

This Bumphead Parrotfish - Bolbometopon muricatum are a sight to see. They are usually found in a group/school and is the largest among Parrotfish. There are many interesting facts about this fish :

1. Due to the shape of their head, they keep bumping their head into the corals when they feeds, causing their head to have 'sore pinkish' markings.

2. They feeds on algae and corals but are not able to digest the 'hard corals' which they defecate to become fine sands. And this is what provide the beaches with powdery sands!

3. Because they feeds on aglae, their teeth can be very 'dirty' as algae grows on them. They then have to get it cleaned by Cleaner Wrasses. They do that by hanging out at 'cleaning stations' where the Cleaner Wrasses lives, and as they hover in the same position, the Cleaner Wrasses will approach them to start doing the cleaning, not only their teeth but also the gills where there can be other parasites.

4. Like all parrotfishes, they sleep at night. Some species of parrotfishes 'blows' a cocoon around them for protection and to prevent them from being eaten by their predators, mostly Sharks, that hunt them at night time.

Check out this video of a different species of Parrotfish sleeping in its cocoon :

The picture in this Spotting include Divers to give a reference to their size, which can be up to 1.5 meters in length.