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B is for Butterfly Fish
 Found in most oceans of the world, butterfly fish are small,
thin, disk-shaped fish with pointed noses. There are many varieties, the four-eyed butterfly probably being the most common from New England to the Caribbean. Others
include the spotfin, the banded, and the reef butterfly. Many of these fish have a dark band running vertically through each eye. This is an aid for the fish being able to
camouflage themselves on the coral reefs where they live. Most butterfly fish have pointed snouts, very useful for plucking out the small coral animals and getting into small
crevices for tiny invertebrates which they feed on. Yellow, white, and black are the most common colors for butterfly fish. The four-eyed is pale yellow or
whitish, with a dark eye band and a large dark spot on the tail. To a predator, the tail appears to be
the fish's head and often allows the butterfly to escape being the "blue plate special" of the day. The
spotfin is also yellowish and has a small dot at the base of its dorsal fin. The banded butterfly looks like a zebra, having alternating black and white stripes running vertically the length of its body. The reef butterfly starts with yellow at the top and fades to white
on its belly. Most butterfly fish mate for life and raise their young together. Sometimes, if one dies, the other may also perish. Occasionally, there may be three to six in a small
group. These little fish are a delight to visit on a coral reef. They are usually busy pecking away at the coral and scurry quickly if disturbed; however, if you move slowly, it is
possible to follow them, film them successfully, or just enjoy them.
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