Powder Blue Tang

Glides

Powder Blue Tang

Acanthurus leucosternon

A powder-blue body, a black face and a yellow dorsal fin. Rows along with its pectoral fins.

Group
Tangs & surgeonfishes
Family
Surgeonfishes (Acanthuridae)
Size
Around 20 cm long
Habitat
Coral reefs of the Indian Ocean (shallow reef flats to upper outer slopes)

About

A powder-blue body with a black face, a white band across the throat and a yellow dorsal fin — a surgeonfish with crisp, clean-cut colors. The area around the scalpel spine at the base of the tail is yellow too, and the white tail has a black border.

It feeds mainly on algae, sometimes alone and sometimes in large groups grazing over the rocks. It can be feisty toward other surgeonfishes and may defend a territory.

In Fish Around

It rows with its pectoral fins, glides smoothly in a straight line, and every few seconds makes a quick turn — the classic surgeonfish style.

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