Parrot fish

[BillVT]

Apparently the average Parrot Fish produces 200 pounds of sand in a year while grazing on the reef. Those of us who snorkel have seen this amazing bit of aquatic biology. And as Coconuts has explained to us, in this forum, that high surf clears the reef of this sand or Parrot fish excrement and dumps it on the beach. So next time you are lounging on a sandy STJ beach, keep in mind that you are probably sitting on a lovely mound of Parrot Fish poop.

[Barb Y]

Interesting thought! After this winter I think I will choose Parrot fish poop over more snow. Bring it on!!!

[snorkeler525]

Bill, you are correct. Large parrot fish can produce as much as 1,000 pounds per year! And, they keep the algae off the coral so the coral has more space to grow. I'll happily walk on parrot fish poop any day of the week!

[betsyv]

I'll take that kind any day, over the other kind I have to deal with the rest of the year.

[TraumaQueen]

Hmmm, this adds a new dimension to the crunchiness from the sand in my drink Parrot fish poop never tasted so good!

[Coconuts]

As long as we are redefining sand, it seems only fair to consider that liquid down at the beach's edge, which appears more than likely to be... "comet juice". Recall that the early earth was molten rock, without any oceans. The water arrived later, via a bombardment of asteroids and comets that pocketed the moon with its many craters. The cometary theory of ocean origins took a hit around the turn of the century, when spectroscopic observations showed that some comets, which are essentially giant dirty snowballs, had the wrong isotopic composition. It now turns out that they were looking at the wrong comets; in 2011, measurements of a large repository of comets in the Kuiper Belt showed a spot-on match for ocean water, so the theory is now considered much more likely.

So, parrotfish poop and comet juice... throw in some mildly ionizing radiation, with a beaker of dilute solvent close at hand... bliss!

All the best,

Kevin

[Barb Y]

Bring it on!!!!!!!!!!