Bignose unicornfish
Naso vlamingii
Unicornfish
unicornfish_g365
About
Unicornfish are reef fish named for the horn-like bump some species carry on the forehead. In this app the group includes the bluespine unicornfish, the orangespine unicornfish, and the spotted unicornfish.
How to tell it apart
The mark that settles it is the sharp spine (or spines) on the tail base, shared with other surgeonfish, plus the forehead horn seen in some species, which no other reef fish has. Members are told apart by horn shape, tail shape, and colour.
Appearance
Unicornfish have an oval or diamond-shaped body with a pointed snout, and some species have a long horn-like bump on the forehead. Each side of the tail base carries one or two sharp, blade-like spines. Size ranges from about 30 cm up to 100 cm.
Habitat
Unicornfish live on coral reefs across the Indo-Pacific, from East Africa to the far Pacific.
Behaviour
Unlike most related surgeonfish, many unicornfish feed on zooplankton drifting in open water rather than grazing algae off the reef, and they tend to range across a wider depth band.
Diet
Unicornfish mostly eat algae or zooplankton, depending on the species.
Did you know?
The horn on a unicornfish's forehead evolved independently several times within the group, and scientists are still not sure exactly what it is for.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
