A shoal of Powder-blue, Convict, and Eye-stripe (black) Surgeonfish on a coral reef in the Maldives
The Acanthuridae are the family of surgeonfishes, tangs, and unicornfishes. The family is composed of marine fish living in tropical seas, usually around coral reefs. Many of the species are brightly colored and popular for aquaria. The distinctive characteristic of the family is the scalpel-like spines, one or more on either side of the tail ("thorn tails"), which are dangerously sharp. Tropical coral reefs are complex ecosystems that support thousands of species of lost or damaged, they cannot be restored. Conserving and protecting our world's reef ecosystems is one way to protect these important global assets. Corals can be asexually reproduced for a variety of project goals including; preservation of genetics, increasing the number of colonies, selecting specific genetic traits, re-growing a coral reef faster than with sexual reproduction, aquaculture, education, or ecotourism purposes. Goals should be defined specifically before working with coral propagation technologies as propagation of corals should not be undertaken lightl. The Republic of Maldives, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean–Arabian Sea area, consisting of a double chain of twenty-six atolls, oriented north-south, that lie between Minicoy Island (the southernmost part of Lakshadweep, India) and the Chagos Archipelago. The chains stand in the Laccadive Sea, and the capital, Malé, is about 600 kilometres (370 mi) south-west of India and 750 kilometres (470 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka. The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in both population and land area. With an average ground level elevation of metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, it is the planet's lowest country. It is also the country with the lowest natural highest point in the world, at metres (7 ft 10 in). Future inundation of the Maldives due to rising sea levels is of great concern to its people, motivating the government to have pledged to be carbon neutral by 2019
Size: 3648px × 2736px
Location: Cocoa Island Makunufushi South Malé Atoll Republic of Maldives
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: convict, coral, eye-stripe, fish, indian, maldives, marine, ocean, powder-blue, reef, snorkelling, surgeonfish, tropical, underwater
