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Blue tang — printable fact sheet
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Blue tang
Paracanthurus hepatus
The blue tang carries a switchblade. At the base of its tail sits a hinged, razor-sharp spine that folds flat into a groove and flicks out when the fish is threatened or fighting; it is used with a sideways lash of the tail and will slice a careless hand open. That spine is why …
Did you know?
- Despite their popularity in aquariums, blue tangs cannot be bred commercially in captivity and are almost always wild-caught.
- Some blue tang populations accumulate ciguatera toxin from the algae they graze, which makes them dangerous to eat in certain regions despite being harmless to touch. In parts of the Caribbean they are called doctorfish, again for the scalpel. Their striking blue-and-black pattern is unusually variable, dulling to a washed-out grey at night or under stress, which surprises new aquarium owners who think their fish is dying.
What I learned
Draw the blue tang
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