Gobies: Gobioidei

Gobies eat invertebrates (in-VER-teh-brehts), or animals without backbones. (Vertebrates are animals with backbones.) Some coral-dwelling gobies feed on the coral on which they live. Species that live in open water feed on plankton, or microscopic plants and animals drifting in water. Large gobies may feed on other, smaller fish. Some gobies scrape algae off rocks. Algae (AL-jee) are plantlike growths that live in water and have no true roots, stems, or leaves. Cleaner gobies pick parasites (PAIR-uh-sites) off other fishes. Parasites are animals or plants that live on other animals or plants without helping them and often harming them. Some gobies eat the tube feet of sea urchins.