1. Sunbathers beware! Much of the crystal white sand forming tropical beaches is former parrotfish poop: After digesting coral rock, it's excreted as sand.

2. Measuring more than four feet in length and weighing in at 100 pounds, bumphead parrotfish from the Indo-Pacific are the family's largest member.

3. When bedding down for the night, a few species enshroud their bodies in mucus bubbles blown from their mouths (as in the photo here). The translucent nightgowns protect the slumbering fish from bloodsucking parasites and predators.