Species profile

Name: the bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) is the largest species of parrotfish. It is also known as the green humphead parrotfish, humphead parrotfish, double-headed parrotfish, buffalo parrotfish, and giant parrotfish.

Appearance: bumphead parrotfish are easily distinguished by the large humps on their heads and their prominent front teeth plates.

Size: they grow to lengths of 1.5 metres and weigh up to 75 kg.

Diet: they typically feed on corals and algae.

Did you know: bumphead parrotfish have a number of adaptations which allow them to feed on corals. They use their large, bony heads to ram into corals and break pieces off into bite-sized chunks. Their front teeth are fused together giving them a bite powerful enough to slice through coral. While their hard plate-like back teeth are used to grind the coral down into a digestible paste. Once inside, they grind up the inedible calcium-carbonate reef material in their guts and excrete it as sand!

Location: they can be found on coral reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Best places to see bumphead parrotfish

According to reports submitted to WildSide, the best places to see bumphead parrotfish are as follows:

Photo credit: Klaus Stiefel, under a Creative Commons license from Flickr