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Parrot fish
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鹦鹉鱼大约有80多种，主要生活在热带礁岩地带，长有鲜艳的颜色和坚硬的牙齿。
THERE are about 80 species of parrot fishes (鹦鹉鱼) found on tropical reefs.
Parrot fishes are elongated, and often very brightly coloured. They have large scales and a characteristic birdlike beak (嘴). The beak is used to scrape (刮) algae (海藻) and the soft part of coral（珊瑚）from coral reefs and is strong enough to leave noticeable scars in the coral. The fishes grind their food and bits of coral with platelike teeth in their throats.
Parrot fishes range to a length of about 1.2 m and weight of about 20 kg, or occasionally larger. They are variable in colour, the male of species often differing considerably from the female, and the young may differ from the adult.
Parrot fishes are edible but are, as a group, of great economic importance.
Indo-Pacific parrot fishes grow to 46 cm or more, and the male is green and orange or red, the female blue and yellow. Atlantic species include the rainbow parrot fishes, which grow to about 90 cm and are bright orange and green with a blue beak, and the queen parrot fishes, which grow to about 50 cm and are blue with green, red, and orange if male but reddish or purplish with a white stripe if female.
(SD-Agencies)
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