Blue tang

The blue tang is a bright, royal-blue fish with a sunny yellow tail. Along each side it has a bold black mark that curves like a painter’s palette, which is why some people call it the palette surgeonfish. It lives on warm coral reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

This fish likes reefs where the water keeps moving and brings fresh food. When a bigger animal comes near, the blue tang darts in among the branches of the coral to hide. The coral makes a safe little shelter until the danger swims away.

Young blue tangs eat tiny floating plankton. As they grow up, they nibble even more: they pick small drifting creatures from the water and graze soft, thread- like algae off the rocks and reef.

Near its tail the blue tang keeps a small, sharp spine on each side. Most of the time the spine lies flat and hidden. If another fish pesters it, the blue tang can lift the spine to protect itself. It is only for keeping safe, never for starting trouble.

There are still plenty of blue tangs living across the warm oceans today, so scientists list them as Least Concern. Even so, many are caught from the wild to be sold for home fish tanks, and they need healthy coral to live. Looking after reefs helps keep blue tangs safe for a long time to come.