Fish

Humphead wrasse (Napoleon wrasse)

Cheilinus undulatus

A Napoleon wrasse may cruise past alone, thick-lipped and unhurried. Stay calm and give it space.

EndangeredIn 34 Atlas countries

Endangered (IUCN, 2004) means it is at very high risk of extinction in the wild. This assessment from 2004 is old and has not been updated.

Humphead wrasse swimming over a coral reef in Raja Ampat — Photo: Nicola Crockford, iNaturalist, CC BY

Humphead wrasse sheltering under a reef overhang — Photo: Ewout Knoester, iNaturalist, CC BY-SA

Humphead wrasse cruising above the Great Barrier Reef — Photo: Christopher Mark, iNaturalist, CC BY

Humphead wrasse swimming over coral in Queensland — Photo: Lawrence Hylton, iNaturalist, CC BY

Humphead wrasse swimming along a reef in Palau — Photo: Rachael Kaiser, iNaturalist, CC BY

Humphead wrasse in open blue water — Photo: 陳德範（Chen, De-Fan）, iNaturalist, CC BY

Humphead wrasse swimming in blue water over sand — Photo: Thibaud Aronson, iNaturalist, CC BY-SA

Close-up of a humphead wrasse's face and thick lips — Photo: Joe Carmichael, iNaturalist, CC0

Photos show the species, not always the places on this page.

Length

Commonly about 60 cm (2 ft), though large adults on healthy reefs are often about 0.8 to 1.5 m (2.6 to 4.9 ft); largest published about 2.29 m (7.5 ft)

Weight

Typical adult weight not reliably measured; heaviest published about 191 kg (421 lb)

Next to a person

Commonly about the length of an adult's arm; the largest recorded was longer than a person is tall

What it eats

Molluscs, fish, sea urchins, crustaceans and other invertebrates, including toxic prey such as boxfish, sea hares and crown-of-thorns starfish.

Around people

Calm, give space

How it lives

Adult humphead wrasse usually live alone or in pairs, roaming the reef by day and resting in the same caves and ledges at night. They start life as females, and some change into males later. To breed, they gather in groups at reef edges and drop-offs. They can live for more than 30 years.

Where it goes

Adults usually roam the reef alone or in pairs by day, then shelter in caves and under ledges at night. They do not make long migrations that we know of. Some tagged females roam home ranges more than 10 km across, and many adults stay faithful to the same area for years.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

Found from the Red Sea to French Polynesia. Populations are well connected, with only small differences at the edges of the range, such as the Seychelles and Pohnpei. Numbers and sizes differ sharply between heavily fished and protected reefs.

Meet it respectfully

Never touch, chase, surround or feed a humphead wrasse, as feeding changes its natural behaviour. Hover quietly and let the fish choose the distance. Never light up or disturb fish resting in caves. Do not eat or buy humphead wrasse.

Fun fact

Tap the bulb to light it up.

Sources for this page

Facts checked 26 September 2026. Photos: Unsplash licence, or Creative Commons as shown on each photo.

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