True Colors: Fun Facts on Our Coral Reef Fish
September 28, 2017
We’ve welcomed several new and exciting animals from land and sea to the Aquarium over the past several months, but Caribbean Journey would be incomplete without the numerous vibrant coral reef fish which will light up our underwater exhibits.
Several colorful aquatic species have now been introduced to the Blue Hole and Coral Reef exhibits, making this magnificent underwater landscape come alive.
The early arrivals include angelfish, butterflyfish, hogfish, grunts, and others, comprising every color of the rainbow. Joining them are several other vividly colored fish, from bright yellow French grunts and blue tang surgeonfish to the bright red squirrelfish. The creole wrasse fish is decorated in intense Mardi Gras hues of purple and gold, while the rock beauty angelfish lives up to its name with brilliant black and gold colors. Some fish will be far less striking in color but no less fascinating, including the midnight parrotfish, with blue and black colors as dark as its name suggests. Perhaps the flashiest fish of all is the queen angelfish, adorned in magnificent gold and purple colors befitting their royal title.
While these fish’s colors will undoubtedly amaze and astonish our guests, they also play a role in their adaptive behaviors, helping them to hide among the coral, scare away predators, or display for mating purposes. These dazzling and sometimes bizarre colors and patterns set them apart from fish in the open ocean, who are mostly one color such as blue or silver. These reef fish will reside in the Coral Reef and Blue Hole exhibits of Caribbean Journey, where guests can observe them from multiple angles. You’ll first see them from above, peering down into the Coral Reef and Blue Hole from Caribbean Journey’s jungle level. You’ll then dive down into the blue to enjoy an up-close encounter with these species and see every incredible detail of their natural colors. Guests will see these fish as they feed and swim among their underwater habitat, providing an immersive look into the diverse and complex ecosystem in a Caribbean coral reef.
Some of the new and exciting coral reef fish include: