Beautiful, functional placemats for dining pleasure and table surface protection. Durably made to provide decades of use when treated kindly.
Hand made in the UK from a combination of forest certified timber industry by-product, recycled paper, solvent free inks and plant derived laminates. Biodegradable.
Simply clean with a damp cloth and then dry. Not dishwasher proof.
Dimensions; 32cm x 22cm.
Four beautiful Parrotfish from various areas of the Indian and Pacific oceans. Named for their parrot beak-like teeth, these fish inhabit shallow seaward coral reef areas of 2m-30m depth. Parrotfish play a vital coral management role within their ecosystem by eating, therefore controlling the volume of, algae and sponges which themselves feed on coral. Through their eating Parrotifsh end up ingesting rock and coral which they excrete in the form of sand, helping to form sandy islands and beaches.
The lifecycle of Parrotfish involves a series of sex and colour changes with most species starting life as females, changing to males in their terminal stage. Typically single males will live in a harem of females. Most species are coloured in dull reds, browns or greys in their initial phase, moving to bright greens, pinks, oranges, blues and yellows in their terminal phase.
There are around 60 separate species of Parrotfish, though in the early days of their study the drastically different colour phases led to many miscategorisations as different species. Most grow to 30cm-60cm though a few species can grow to as much as 1m long.
Strange fact; Some Parrotfish species secreet a cocoon of mucus which hides their scent from predators and within which they sleep at night 🤔.
Originally illustrated by a British scientific illustrator, George H. Ford, in 1866 following the fishes’ description and study by renowned naturalist and ichthyologist Luitenant Colonel Playfair during his post as British Consul in Zanzibar in the 1860’s.
Our team has digitally remastered these fabulous antique zoological illustrations to modern day production standards for the continued enjoyment of the public.
