Bonaire's reefs are graced by many parrotfish species. They graze on algae that grows on reef substrates. Some of them grow quite large, and others are always small. Many of them change appearance from an initial phase to a terminal phase. As a result, it can get pretty confusing trying to identify all of them.
Today's featured fish is the stoplight parrotfish. This species is one of the most frequently encountered fish on the reef. We see hundreds of tiny early juveniles as they recruit into reef habitats, and we see many of the larger phases as well. The species can grow to 2 feet in length.
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| Early juveniles, less than 1 inch long |
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| Initial phase, about 10 inches long |
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| Terminal phase, about 14 inches long |
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