Bumphead Parrotfish
The bumphead parrotfish can sometimes be seen travelling in small groups around Sipadan Island. I guess the common name of this fish describes it very well.
- “Bumphead” - because it has got one huge bump almost the size of it’s head right on the head, and it gets even bigger with age.
- “Parrot” - because the set of teeth on this fish has fused together making it look like a parrot’s beak.
Among the parrotfish family, it is the dullest in terms of coloration and patterns. Other parrotfish families usually have vivid colors and interesting patterns on its body, but not so for the bumphead parrotfish. For them, they are only greenish in color. But they make it up by being the largest of all parrotfish family.
If you listen carefully during your dive, you might hear scraping noises not unlike those made by two pieces of rock being rubbed together. That could very likely be the parrotfish feeding on corals.
The Bumphead Parrotfish is from the Scaridae family of the order Perciformes.