Coral reef a protective area, or it may lie between the reef and the shore, and in this case is a flat, rocky area. Fish tend to prefer it when it is present. The reef lagoon is an entirely enclosed region, which creates an area less affected by wave action and often contains small reef patches. However, the "topography of coral reefs is constantly changing. Each reef is made up of irregular patches of algae, sessile invertebrates, and bare rock and sand. The size, shape and relative abundance of these patches changes from year to year in response to the various factors
Coral reef fish too late. The clown triggerfish has strong jaws for crushing and eating sea urchins, crustaceans and hard-shell molluscs. Its ventral (lower) surface has large, white spots on a dark background, and its dorsal (upper) surface has black spots on yellow. This is a form of countershading: from below, the white spots look like the lighted surface of the water above; and from above, the fish blends more with the coral reef below. The brightly painted yellow mouth may deter potential predators. Many reef fish species have evolved different feeding strategies accompanied by specialized mouths, jaws and teeth particularly suited to