Napoleon wrasse

How do you identify a Napoleon wrasse?

The Napoleon wrasse, or humphead wrasse, is the largest member of the wrasse family and one of the largest bony fish on coral reefs: up to 2.30 meters and nearly 200 kilos, although the average size is 60 centimeters. The body is massive and laterally compressed. The adult male has a prominent hump on its forehead, which recalls the emperor's bicorne hat and gave the fish its name. The mouth is large, fleshy and protractile, the eyes small and bulging. The adult is olive green, with many vertical black lines on the flanks and a network of yellowish marbling on the head; the convex tail fin has a white edge. It moves mainly with its pectoral fins, in a slow, slightly clumsy swim.

How does the Napoleon wrasse live?

The Napoleon wrasse lives on coral reefs in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific, often along walls and on plateaus exposed to the current, where the large individuals hold their territories. It feeds on reef invertebrates, mollusks, crustaceans and sea urchins, and it is one of the few fish able to eat the crown-of-thorns starfish, the sea star that devours coral. Juveniles and young females are brown to greenish, with two black lines behind the eye; the largest individuals become males.

Where and when can you see a Napoleon wrasse?

In the Red Sea, several reefs have resident Napoleon wrasse, seen all year. At Ras Mohammed, they live on the saddle between Shark and Yolanda Reef and come right up to your mask. The northern plateau of Panorama Reef is guarded by a big resident that comes to check out dive groups. At the Brothers, a family lives around the wrecks of Big Brother. At St. John's, residents live on the pinnacles and coral islets. Elsewhere in the Red Sea, you will meet it by chance along the walls, often alone. Sometimes a trevally follows it to take advantage of its hunting.

In the Maldives too, residents show up all year. At Fish Head, one or two big Napoleon wrasse are curious about divers. In Tanzania, at Fundu Gap off Pemba, big Napoleon wrasse cruise the walls on almost every dive. In Indonesia, at Cape Kri in Raja Ampat, several adults pass close to divers during the drift, all year. At Magic Mountain, in Misool, big adults follow hunting trevallies in shallow water, mostly from October to April.

In the Pacific, you can meet it all year in the passes of Rangiroa and Fakarava, in French Polynesia. It also lives in Boulari Pass, in New Caledonia. To be sure of seeing it, choose the Red Sea, the Maldives or Indonesia.

Is the Napoleon wrasse endangered?

Slow to grow, late to breed and highly prized alive by restaurants in Asia, the Napoleon wrasse is listed as Endangered and appears in CITES Appendix II, which regulates its trade. In Egypt, it is protected, and the residents of Ras Mohammed built its reputation. But years of feeding from boats have made some individuals so familiar that they became dependent. Give them nothing, and enjoy their curiosity without provoking it.