Rainbow Parrotfish

Rainbow Parrotfish (Scarus guacamaia)

Rainbow parrotfish is one of the largest members of its family and the largest parrotfish in the Atlantic. It can reach lengths of up to 1.2 meters (3.9 feet), weigh up to 20 kilograms, and live up to 16 years. Its overall coloration is greenish brown, with dull orange fins marked by green accents. The fish has blue-green dental plates, and both sexes appear similar.

The rainbow parrotfish has a broad range in the western Atlantic, found from Bermuda and South Florida to the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and Venezuela. It resides in shallow waters, including coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds, at depths ranging from 3 to 25 meters.

Rainbow Parrotfish primarily feeds on detritus, bacterial colonies, and meiofauna, but it also consumes sponges. Juvenile fish are commonly found in mangrove areas.