It turns out the beautiful beaches of Hawaii and the Maldives are made of parrot fish poop! These odd-looking fish eat the algae and coral in the reefs and grind it to fine particles using teeth in their throat. They don’t have a stomach, so they excrete it directly onto the coral bed, where it builds to form the white sand beaches we love relaxing on.

More information:

wired.com/absurd-creature-of-the-week-parrotfish