The big-beaked, rock-munching fish that protect coral reefs - Mike Gil episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 27, 2026 · 7 MIN

The big-beaked, rock-munching fish that protect coral reefs - Mike Gil

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Discover the quirky creature known as the parrotfish, and the key role it plays in keeping coral reefs healthy and thriving. --As the sun rises over a quiet coral reef, one animal breaks the morning silence. Named for its vibrant scales and beak-like teeth, the parrotfish devours a particularly crunchy breakfast: rocks. Why would any creature take bites out of the seafloor? Mike Gil explores how these quirky and flashy foragers play a key role in defending the essential coral reef ecosystem.Lesson by Mike Gil, directed by Franz Palomares.Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterSupport us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagramView full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-big-beaked-rock-munching-fish-that-protect-coral-reefs-mike-gilThank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Jose Arcadio Valdes Franco, Brandy Sarver, Guy Hardy, Tu-Anh Nguyen, Karl Laius, Madee Lo, JY Kang, Marc Bou Zeid, Abhishek Goel, Charles A Hershberger, Coenraad Keuning, Robert Seik, Heidi Stolt, Alexis Hevia, Todd Gross, Brady Jones, Christina Salvatore, Zhong Ming Zenny Tan, Karisa Caudill, Bruno Pinho, Derek Drescher, Mihail Radu Pantilimon, Amin Shahril, Mohamed Elsayed, Barthélémy Michalon, Chumi Ogbonna, Karlee Finch, Mohammad Said, jj5252, Kelvin Lam, Mauricio Basso, Athena Grace Franco, Tirath Singh Pandher, Melvin Williams, Tsz Hin Edmund Chan, Nicolas Silva, Raymond Lee, Kurt Almendras, Denise A Pitts, Abdallah Absi, Dee Wei, Richard A Berkley, Tim Armstrong, Daniel Nester, Hashem Al, denison martins fernandes, Doug Henry, Arlene Spiegelman, Michał Friedrich and Joshua Wasniewski. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The big-beaked, rock-munching fish that protect coral reefs - Mike Gil

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