their most common feeding method. Corallivorous fish come from 11 different families. 39 species are obligate corallivores. Butterflyfish have a wide range of adaptations that facilitate coral consumption. Some butterflyfish have long mouth that they use like forceps to pluck off individual coral polyps and some use their teeth to scrape off coral tissue. Butterflyfish that consume coral have longer intestines than fish that do not consume coral, suggesting that corallivores need more time to process the complex molecules of the coral. The golden pufferfish is distributed widely across the tropical oceans, however, is considered a particularly significant corallivore, specifically in the tropical Eastern Pacific. The golden pufferfish uses its beak-like dental plate to feed on the tips of branching corals at an estimated pace of of calcium carbonate per of live coral per day. Despite the large amount of coral consumed, studies suggest that the golden pufferfish has little influence on coral abundance in the region. Parrotfish are a family of fish that contain several corallivorous species. Reef-dwelling parrotfish have teeth on their lower and upper jaw that have evolved into an edge for cutting. This cutting edge allows parrotfish to scrape and feed on coral tissue and skeleton. The cutting edge on the teeth of parrotfish resembles a beak, which is the basis for the organism's common name. In addition to the cutting edge adaptation, parrotfish also have well-developed crossed joints that connect the dentary and articular bones of the lower jaw, which presents a mechanical advantage that makes the bite much stronger. Invertebrates There are 48 known corallivorous invertebrate species, 14 of which are obligate corallivores. The facultative corallivore crown-of-thorns star is an important coral browser that feeds by everting its stomach and using its tube feet to spread the stomach over the coral and into the crevices between polyps. Occurrences of high crown-of-thorns star population densities has resulted in documented decimation of large coral reef tracts, with reports of 100% coral mortality in localized areas. It is estimated that one crown-of-thorns star may eat up to of live coral per year. The genus Drupella are obligate corallivorous sea snails that specialize on fast growing Acropora and Montipora species. Like crown-of-thorns star, Drupella aggregations have been known to destroy large areas of coral, and have been cited as the cause for instances of significant coral reduction in Toga Bay, Japan and Ningaloo Reef, Australia. Most corallivores display