The Coral Reef - Moorish idol (Sarah R.)

Moorish Idol (heading 2)

Zanclus cornutus(heading 3)

(Complete at least five of these categories)

Size (length and weight)
Most Moorish fishes are 7 inches but some adults are 8 or 9.

Physical descritiption
The moorish idol is very attractive. They have disk like bodies. It has black, yellow, and white large stripes. The moorish idol has small fins. They have small mouths at the edge of a long snout. Lots of bristle like teeth line the mouth. The eyes are high on the fishes face. When the moorish idol is an adult, above the eyes are bumps.

Location in the world

The moorish fish can be found in East Africa, the Hawaiian Islands,Rapa Island, and Ducie Atoll. The Moorish idol lives in shallow waters and can be found on reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific.

Diet
The moorish Idol is an omnivore, which means that they eat meat and vegetable substances, but most of its diet consists of sponges, tunicates, and other benthic invertebrates.

Predators
Some of the other organisms that eat the moorish idol are sharks, birds, larger fish, whales, dolphins, and humans.

Young
The amount of fish born at one time varies. The young moorish idols look the same as thee older ones. the moorish idols also have larval stages.(how many get born at one time? Do the young look any different than the adults? Do they have a larval stage?)

Niche or role in their ecosystem
Some of the roles that the moorish idol plays in the ecosystem are(what roles does this organism play in its ecosystem? Why is it important?

Other names
Some other names for the moorish idol are Cocher jaune, Halterfisch, Tsunodashi, Morishidol, Moonish Idol, and Crowned Scythe.