Humphead Wrasse
Cheilinus undulatus
The humphead wrasse is the largest of the wrasses and lives mainly on coral reefs across the Indo-Pacific. It is also known as the Maori wrasse, Napoleon wrasse, and Napoleonfish.
Family
Labridae
Avg Size
150-200 cm
Habitat
Humphead wrasses occur along the east coast of Africa near the mouth of the Red Sea and in parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Juveniles tend to stay in shallow, sandy areas at the edge of coral reefs, while adults keep mostly to offshore and deeper reef zones, typically along outer-reef slopes and channels but also in lagoons.
Behaviour
Adults are commonly found along steep reef and channel slopes and on lagoon reefs in water from about 2 to 60 m (roughly 6 ft 7 in to 196 ft 10 in) deep. A highly opportunistic predator, the humphead wrasse feeds mainly on invertebrates such as molluscs (especially gastropods and bivalves), sea urchins, crustaceans, and annelids, as well as other fish, and even tackles toxic prey like sea hares, boxfish, and crown-of-thorns starfish. Since many bivalves and urchins burrow in the sand, the wrasse may follow excavators such as stingrays or dig the prey out itself, jetting water to clear the sand and nosing about for a meal.
