surgeon fish

The marine organism we're going to identify now, is the ocean surgeonfish. The ocean surgeonfish

is closely related to the blue tang and the doctorfish. And often difficult to distinguish

from the doctorfish. What distinguishes the ocean surgeonfish from the other surgeonfish

relatives, is that its spectral fins are fairly clear and often have a yellow tint, and they

lack body bars. Unlike the blue tang, the ocean surgeonfish is generally bluish gray

to toric brown. But it can pale or darken its colors quickly at will. Surgeonfish get

their name from the two razor sharp spines found on either side of the base of their

tail. Which they use as a defensive weapon by extending them, and then thrashing their

tail back and forth. Ocean surgeonfish are fairly common fish around Florida, the Bahamas,

most parts of the Caribbean. They're generally found on reefs, at depths from fifteen to

eighty feet, and can range in size from six to twelve inches. The maximum size reported

is fifteen inches in length. They often congregate with their related species, the blue tang,

and the doctorfish, as they roam over the reef. Ocean surgeonfish are primarily herbivores,

and feet primarily on algae. As they feed on algae, they often ingest large amounts

of sand, which some suspect may aid in the digestion of the algae they eat. Ocean surgeonfish

are broadcast breeders. Males woo females by swimming around them and entice them to

the mid water zone where both males and females release their dammies. Breeding normally occurs

in the late afternoon or early morning. The fertilized eggs contain a small drop of oil

that causes the eggs to float until they mature and hatch. That's the ocean surgeonfish.

Surgeon fish Acanthurus sp.

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