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Butterfly fish Facts

Butterfly fish Facts
Butterfly fish is a type of marine fish. There are 120 species of the butterfly fish that can be found in tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. Many people keep them as pets, which is not very simple because they require specific conditions of water. 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.
Interesting Butterfly fish Facts:
Depending on the species, butterfly fish vary in size from 3 to 6 inches in length. Certain species may grow up to 8 inches.
Butterfly fish is named that way because of the attractive coloration of their body. They can be black, orange, yellow, red, silver and white in color, with different kind of spots and patterns on their body.
Many species of the butterfly fish have black stripes across their eyes and eye-like spots on the body. Both stripes and spots serve to confuse the predators and allow butterfly fish to escape on time.
Butterfly fish has flattened disk-shaped body. It has round tail and uninterrupted dorsal fin.
Another interesting feature on the body is elongated nose. It helps the fish to reach the food from the crevice of rocks.
Butterfly fish is an omnivore (eats both meat and plants). It eats different types of algae and seaweed, worms, small crustaceans and zooplankton.
Butterfly fish usually swims in the shallow water (up to 65 feet), because it eats animals and algae that can be found in this section of water.
Butterfly fish has a lot of predators. Large fish, sharks and eels often prey on butterfly fish.
Butterfly fish are diurnal animals (active during the day). They take a rest in the corals and rock crevices during the night.
Most butterfly fish live in larger groups called schools.
Certain butterfly fish are solitary until they find a mating partner. When they find a partner, they travel, hunt and mate together for the rest of their lives.
Butterfly fish spawns at the dusk (when the visibility is low) to increase the survival rate of her eggs.
Released eggs become part of the plankton. Most of them will be eaten by animals that feed on plankton. Baby of the butterfly fish is known as "fry".
Since they are very tiny and vulnerable at birth, babies develop armor plates which protect their bodies until they grow and become stronger.
Average lifespan of the butterfly fish in the wild is 7 years. They live between 8 and 10 years in the captivity.


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