The Moorish authentic Idol

This is one authentic of the most spectacular of all reef fish, thanks to its bold, striped color scheme and its elongated, sickle-shaped dorsal fin. Sometimes the extended tip of the fin is cut short, presumably when in conflict with predators or prey. It lives mainly on tropical coral reefs, where it uses its long snout to probe cracks and crevices for coraline seaweeds and encrusting animals such as sponges to eat. It occurs in a variety of reef habitats, from cloudy lagoons and sheltered reef flats to exposed reef faces, and down to considerable depths. Usually found in small groups, it occasionally swims in large schools of a hundred or more individuals. Young exist as free- swimming larvae for a considerable period after hatching, and may cover great distances, accounting for the lack of variation seen in this species over its widespread geographical distribution.