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  3. Raccoon Butterflyfish

Bony fish · Perciformes · Chaetodontidae

Raccoon Butterflyfish

Chaetodon lunula

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.

Spotted something wrong?

The raccoon butterflyfish is a fish of the family Chaetodontidae. The name refers to the vague colouring on the face, similar to that of a raccoon.

Size

up to 20 cm

Life expectancy

9 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Ocean
62countries1parks1same family

Fun facts

  • It is nocturnal, which is unusual among butterflyfish: by day it rests in shelter and comes out to feed at dusk.
  • It eats nudibranchs, the tentacles of tube worms, other bottom-living invertebrates, algae and coral polyps.

Life cycle and biology

Skeleton type
Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bony fish)
Habitat and environment
Shallow reef flats in lagoons and on reef fronts of the Indo-Pacific, from 0 to 170 m but almost always above 30 m; the juveniles live among rocks and in intertidal pools

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaetodon_lunula

Where to find it

See its range on the interactive map→

Asia26

Oceania20

Africa15

North America1

Loading map…

The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.

Where to see it

Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.

Related species

Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Raccoon Butterflyfish — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.

Same taxonomic family
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Keep exploring

Based on what we already know about raccoon butterflyfish.

Comments

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See full glossary
This page in other languages: Español · Deutsch · Français · Português · Italiano
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CountriesPhilippines
ParksNorthern Sierra MadrePhilippines
TagsOmnivore
Omnivore
Nocturnal
In pairs
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