# Butterflyfish (*Chaetodon*)

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

- **Category:** [Fish](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fish)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 2/5 · Low
- **Habitat:** Coral reefs
- **Also known as:** Butterfly Fish, Coral Fish

![Butterflyfish](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771424756/objects/4770.jpg)

## 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.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Actinopterygii
- **Order:** Perciformes
- **Family:** Chaetodontidae
- **Genus:** Chaetodon

## 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

- **False Eye Disguise:** Butterflyfish have a dark spot near their tail because it tricks predators into attacking the wrong end.
- **Reef Acrobat:** Their flat bodies let Butterflyfish quickly dart through coral, helping them escape danger and find food.
- **Precision Nibbler:** 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
- **Maximum 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](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wildlife): Wildlife encompasses all undomesticated animal and plant life existing in their natural habitats.
- [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands.
- [Marine](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/marine): Marine habitats encompass all saltwater environments of the Earth's oceans, supporting an immense diversity of aquatic life.

## Collections

- [Fish](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fish)

## Safety

**Danger:** 2/5 · Low

Watch quietly from a distance and never try to feed or chase wild animals.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Butterflyfish?

Look at body shape, where the fins sit and their outline, mouth position, stripes and spots. Young fish and breeding adults can wear different patterns, and aquarium color varieties can look nothing like wild fish. Fish Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How long is Butterflyfish?

12-30 cm

### How much does Butterflyfish weigh?

0.1-0.5 kg

### How long does Butterflyfish live?

5-10 years

### What does Butterflyfish eat?

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

### How fast can Butterflyfish swim?

8 km/h

### Where is Butterflyfish usually found?

Coral reefs

### How does Butterflyfish hunt?

Foraging

## Where to spot

- [New York Aquarium](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/new-york-aquarium) — New York, US · Zoo

## More Fish

- [Rainbow Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/rainbow-trout) (*Oncorhynchus mykiss*)
- [Brown Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-trout) (*Salmo trutta*)
- [Brook Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brook-trout) (*Salvelinus fontinalis*)
- [Lake Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/lake-trout) (*Salvelinus namaycush*)

---

Source: [Butterflyfish: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/butterflyfish)