ExploreFish

Butterflyfish

Chaetodon

Butterflyfish are colorful fish that look like they have butterfly wings. They are gentle swimmers and love to explore the reef.

Habitat: Coral reefs

Appearance

The Butterflyfish is a vibrant reef fish with a laterally compressed, disc-shaped body. It typically has bright yellow, orange, black, and white patterns, often featuring vertical bands, intricate spots, and a prominent dark eyespot near its tail to confuse predators.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassActinopterygiiOrderPerciformesFamilyChaetodontidaeGenusChaetodon

Butterflyfish

Interesting facts

Baby butterflyfish look very different from adults and live in open water!

Some butterflyfish wear a black band across their eye, like a ninja mask!

Their flat, disc-like bodies allow them to gracefully navigate tricky coral reefs.

They change their colors to communicate with each other or to hide at night.

Special abilities

Butterflyfish have a dark spot near their tail because it tricks predators into attacking the wrong end.

Their flat bodies let Butterflyfish quickly dart through coral, helping them escape danger and find food.

Butterflyfish have a small, protruding mouth that helps them carefully pick tiny food from tight crevices.

Measurements & details

Length: 12-30 cm
Weight: 0.1-0.5 kg
Lifespan: 5-10 years
Swim Speed: 8 km/h
Max Depth: 60 m
Water Type: Saltwater

Diet & Feeding

Butterflyfish are omnivores that mostly snack on coral polyps, tiny marine worms, and algae.

Primary Foods

coral polyps
small crustaceans
marine worms
algae
zooplankton

Foraging Method

Foraging

Ecological connections

eats

Staghorn coral

Acropora cervicornis

Many species feed on coral polyps.

eaten by

Whitetip reef shark

Triaenodon obesus

Sharks are common predators on coral reefs.

eaten by

Leopard coral grouper

Plectropomus leopardus

Large reef fish prey on smaller butterflyfish.

Traits

Wildlife

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Social

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Colorful

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Herbivorous

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Aquatic

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Marine

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