Moorish Idol Zanclus cornutus

The Moorish Idol is the only fish in its genus. Although it looks vaguely similar to the bannerfishes with its flowing dorsal fin streamers, it is not closely related to them nor to their black and yellow butterflyfish relatives.

It is native to tropical and subtropical reefs and lagoons of the Indo-Pacific region, from East Africa right through to the western coast of the Americas. It grows to 20-23cm long (excluding the streamer fin). They have a long snout with a small mouth but strong teeth to eat sponges, polyps and small invertebrates off the coral.