Based on its food, animal is classified into some specific group such as herbivore, omnivore, and carnivore. Carnivore is the one who only eat meat or animal. Omnivore is the one who eat both plant and animal. And herbivore is the one who only eat plants. To differentiate animal whether it is herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore in the land is quite easy. But how if the animal live in the ocean? It is quite hard to know what kind of group that these animal into. And here for our today’s article I would like to inform you about some herbivores in the Pacific Ocean that maybe you don’t know before.
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1. Sea Hares
Sea hares is the first herbivores in the Pacific Ocean for our article today. You can find sea hares almost in all ocean water all around the world because it loves warm water. There are about 9 different genera for sea hares. Its size also vary starts from 2 cm up to 70 cm long for their length. Sea weed become the primary food for sea hares.
See also: Water Snails Facts – List of Marine Invertebrates
2. Dugong
Dugong is the other species of manatee. The distribution of dugong is widespread in the 40 countries along the Indo – West Pacific region. It is classified as herbivore because it feeds on seagrass. About their life span, they can life up to 70 years. You can find dugong in our neighbor country which is Australia. Australia also become the home for largest population of dugong.
See also: Threats to Marine Mammals
3. Parrotfish
To find this species of parrotfish can be found around the coral reef, and rocky bottom. Its body size can grow and reach its number up to 1.3 m. Parrotfish can prevent the overgrowth of algae in the coral reef by eating on it. And because it is dependent on coral reef, parrotfish is classified as a herbivore even though there are some of them that feed on microscopic reef organism.
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4. Pin fish
Pin fish is also known as pin perch, sand perch, and or butterfish with its scientific name of Lagodon rhomboides. This species of fish has a small size which is about 11.4 cm only. You can find this species of fish in the depth between 30 to 50 feet beneath the sea. What is unique about this fish is that during the days when they were a juveniles they are carnivore but by the time they become an adult they become herbivore.
See also: Ways to Prevent Overfishing
5. Palette Surgeon fish
Mostly people known this species of fish as dorry, but this fish also has another name such as regal tang, palette surgeonfish, and or blue tang. About its life span, palette surgeon fish can live about 8 to 20 years inside the captivity. You can find this species of fish throughout the Indo – Pacific region.
See also: Types of Small Ocean Fish
6. Abalone
Abalone also one from many mollusks that has some genus. Because it has some genus, there is a variety for its body size starts from 0.79 inches up to 20 inches. Young abalone is still feed on larvae but then when they grow up they feed on algae.
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7. Sea urchin
Sea urchin may exist in the shallow area until the depth of 5000 m beneath the sea. It feeds primarily on algae in th coral reefs. And some of its predators are sea otters, starfish, wolf eels, triggerfish, and human. Even though it is herbivore but you have to be careful when you go to and play in the beach because its feet may cause some injuries.
See also: Types of Sea Urchins
8. Green Sea turtle
Again, for the herbivores in the Pacific Ocean we have green sea turtle that become a herbivore after it becomes an adult. During the days when green sea turtle is still being a juvenile it is classified as an omnivore. About its body size, green sea turtle can reach 1.5 m long for its length and 190 kg in weight.
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9. Yellow Tang
Is one of the species of saltwater fish.This species of fish usually exist in the depth of 2 to 46 m. In the wild they feed on marine plant material even though people sometimes feed them with meat and fish when they keep yellow tang in the captivity. The fish can grow up to 20 cm in length.
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10. Lined surgeonfish
This fish can exist until the depth of 15 m beneath the sea. About its body, its body can grow and reach its length up to 38 cm. To find this species of fish you can look around the coral reef because it loves to be around the reef. It feeds on algae as its primary food.
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11. Geoduck
Geoduck is the largest species of clam. Even though its shell only about 15 cm to over 20 cm in length but its siphon is longer than the shell which can reach the number of 1 m in length. This species of clam also has the longest life because its life span that can reach the number of 140 years.
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12. Green humphead parrotfish
Next up for the herbivores in the Pacific Ocean we have green humphead parrotfish. Green humphead parrotfish is the largest species of parrotfish. Its body length can reach the number of 1.3 m with its weight up to 46 kg.
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13. Humpback unicornfish
This species of fish can be found along the coastline of Indonesia to Africa. It is because the habitat of this fish is in the tropical areas. You will find this species of fish in the coral reef because it feeds on algae and phytoplankton that exist in the coral reef.
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14. Short nosed unicornfish
Short nosed unicornfish is also known as spotted unicornfish. If you want to find this species of fish, you can find them in the rocky bottom or around the coral reef. Just like any other unicornfish, this species of unicornfish also being classified as herbivore because it feeds on algae on the coral reef. It can dive until the depth of 122 m beneath the sea.
See also: Types of Algae – Animals in The Coral Reef
15. Green abalone
Green abalone is also known as Haliotis fulgens as its scientific name. It can be found in almost all area of Pacific Ocean with the depth between 9 m to 18 m beneath the sea. To find this species of abalone you can take a look in the rocky area and or around the coral reef.
Even though the abalone is called as “green abalone” but mostly this species of abalone has brown shell. There are some predators that feed on green abalone such as sea otters, starfish, octopus, and some other large fish.
16. Bicolour parrotfish
Bicolour parrotfish has a scientific name of Cetoscarus bicolor. Not only in the Indo – Pacific region this sopecies of parrotfish can be found, but you can also find it in the Red Sea. This species of parrotfish doesn’t dive too deep because you can find it in the depth between 1 m to 30 m beneath the sea.
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17. Flat abalone
Last but not leas, we have flat abalone in our herbivores in the Pacific Ocean list. This species of abalone can be found in the rocky substrate or bottom. You can also find it in the kelp forest. Flat abalone has a scientific name of Haliotis walallensis. Its shell can grow and reach the number of 120 mm in length. And just like any other abalone, flat abalone feeds primarily on algae.
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Therefore, this is the end of today’s article of 17 herbivores in the Pacific Ocean. Hopefully this article can help you to wider your knowledge about what kind of herbivore that lives in the Pacific Ocean. Thank you for being our loyal reader and follower. Don’t forge to keep following our website because there will be more interesting article for you to read.