noun
- Plural of parrotfish; colorful tropical marine fish with beak-like mouths that feed on coral and algae.
Usage: Collective or plural form; refers to multiple individual fish or the species as a group.
Examples
- Parrotfishes are essential to coral reef ecosystems because they eat algae that would otherwise smother the coral.
- The bright colors of parrotfishes make them popular subjects for underwater photographers.
- Many parrotfishes produce sand as a byproduct of their feeding, contributing to beach formation.
- Divers observed a school of parrotfishes grazing on the reef.
- Parrotfishes use their strong beaks to scrape food from rock surfaces.