FishCommonVisible while snorkeling

Moorish idol

Zanclus cornutus

The only living member of its family: banded in yellow, black and white with a trailing dorsal streamer, the Moorish idol is reef royalty.

Photo: iNaturalist – (c) David R, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

The Moorish idol (Zanclus cornutus) is a true one-off: it is the only living species in the family Zanclidae, so no other fish in the sea is quite like it. Its disc-shaped, laterally flattened body is crossed by bold black and white-yellow bands, an orange saddle sits on its elongated snout, and the dorsal fin trails into a long, sickle-shaped white streamer. Legend has it the name comes from the Moors of North Africa, who regarded the fish as a bringer of luck.

Although it looks confusingly like a bannerfish, it is actually a distant relative of the surgeonfishes. With its drawn-out snout it picks its favourite food – sponges – out of cracks, along with coral polyps and small invertebrates. It patrols the reef in pairs or small loose groups and is almost constantly on the move; photographers know it takes patience, because it rarely poses.

Around Hurghada you can run into it anywhere from shallow coral gardens to reef walls, typically between 3 and 30 metres. On the plateaus of the Giftun Islands and along El Fanadir it is a regular sight, sailing over the corals in pairs. It often appears in the shallows while snorkeling too – you will recognise the silhouette with its streaming pennant from far away.

Did you know?

The Moorish idol's larva drifts in the open ocean for an unusually long time – months – and can reach 7–8 cm before it ever settles on a reef, which is partly why this single species ranges from the Red Sea all the way to the coast of Mexico.

Where can you meet it?

Pairs appear on almost every dive in the Giftun coral gardens and on the El Fanadir plateau; it is also common while snorkeling at shallow Shaab Sabina and around Abu Ramada.

Frequently asked questions

Yes: Gill, the escape-plotting leader of the tank, is a Moorish idol. It deserves the starring role in real life too – as the sole living species of its family, the fish on the reef in front of you is the last of its evolutionary line.

The idol has a longer snout with an orange saddle, a more contrasting body and a black tail – the bannerfish's tail is whitish. They are not even related: the bannerfish is a butterflyfish, while the idol is a distant cousin of the surgeonfishes.

Yes, it regularly cruises the shallow reef tops. It never stops moving, so don't chase it – float calmly and a pair will likely glide right beneath you.