Coral Reef Fish

Coral reefs support approximately 25% of all marine species on just 0.1% of the ocean floor — the highest density of biodiversity of any aquatic ecosystem. Their fish communities are spectacular in both diversity and visual richness: over 4,000 fish species are reef-associated, comprising clownfish (famously made famous by Finding Nemo), parrotfish, surgeonfish, lionfish, groupers, moray eels, mantas, sharks, and thousands of others. Reef fish have evolved extraordinary adaptations: cleaner wrasse fish set up 'cleaning stations' where other fish (including species that would normally eat them) line up to have parasites removed; mantis shrimp (not actually fish) have eyes with 16 types of color receptors (vs. humans' 3) and strike with 160 km/h appendages; pistol shrimp create a cavitation bubble with their snapping claw that reaches 218 decibels (louder than a jet engine) and briefly reaches the temperature of the Sun's surface. The removal of apex predators from reefs causes trophic cascades that can collapse entire reef communities.