Japanese parrotfish
Amazing fact
When a male Japanese parrotfish disappears, the largest female changes into a male.
東京都島しょ農林水産総合センター
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
When a male Japanese parrotfish disappears, the largest female changes into a male.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Japanese parrotfish
- Scientific name
- Calotomus japonicus
- Japanese name
- ブダイ
- Group
- Ocean animals
- Order
- Labriformes
- Family
- Scaridae
- Genus
- Calotomus
Where the name “Japanese parrotfish” comes from
The English name parrotfish refers to teeth visible outside the mouth that resemble a parrot’s beak.
東京都島しょ農林水産総合センターIt lives along the Pacific coast from Chiba Prefecture to Kyushu, along the coasts from the San'in region to Kyushu, and around islands such as the Izu Islands.
There are several ideas about its name; one is that it was called "ugly sea bream" because it looks clumsier than a sea bream.
How the Japanese parrotfish lives
It lives on rocky reefs and coral reefs near the coast. It eats shrimp, crabs and seaweed. In summer, it lays round eggs that float in the water. In winter, it shifts to a diet based on plants.
東京都島しょ農林水産総合センターBasic data
- Range
- Pacific coast from outer Chiba to southern Kyushu, Sanin to northern and western Kyushu, Izu Islands, Ogasawara, and elsewhere
Where the Japanese parrotfish has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ブダイ
- 简体中文
- 圆尾绚鹦嘴鱼
- 繁體中文
- 日本鸚鯉
- 한국어
- 비늘돔
- Português (Brasil)
- Peixe-papagaio-japonês
- Italiano
- Pesce pappagallo giapponese
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 鳥羽水族館 — ブダイChecked: 2026-11-04
- 東京都島しょ農林水産総合センター — ブダイChecked: 2026-11-07
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
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