Due to their varied climate, ocean currents and favorable geographical position, the Galapagos Islands are outstanding for their flora, fauna and underwater life.
The species composing the Galapagos kingdom are of varied origins, and some of the most ubiquitous are the parrotfish. They are found all along the coral formations, especially in warm waters, but they have adapted to cold waters as well. This beautiful fish varies greatly both in colors and sizes.
Worldwide there are 10 genera and about 80 species of scarids (parrotfish family). There are seven species of parrotfish recorded in the eastern Pacific, six occur in the Galapagos.
Many species are sexually dichromatic, and changes in color with age and sexual phases occur. Parrotfish have distinctively fused teeth in their jaws, giving them the appearance of a having "parrotlike" beak, from which their common name is derived.
Their main food source is coral, and in order to crush it they use the pharyngeal bones and molariform teeth, known as the pharyngeal mill.
Parrotfish are certainly colorful-visible components of the reef fauna at Bartolome Island, where everyone in the water have had an unforgettable experience.
