The Great Maori Wrasse

There is no doubt, the Maori Wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus), is one of the most popular fish on the Great Barrier Reef. And for good reason.

It is renowned for its large size, striking colours and friendly personality. An encounter with a Maori Wrasse will make your day.

Maori Wrasse are so named for their distinct facial markings which resemble those seen on traditional Maori warriors in New Zealand. The males are most easily identified by their large size and large, prominent hump on its forehead.

This hump contains an air and oil combination which acts in part as a flotation device which counteracts the weight of their pronounced jaw.

A male Maori Wrasse can live up to 25 years, grow up to an impressive 2.3m and weigh up to 190kg.

The female Maori Wrasse normally grows to around 1m and can live up to 32 years of age, yet they have a very slow breeding rate as they do not mature until they are around 4 to 6 years old.

The Maori Wrasse are protogynous hermaphrodites: That basically means that most Maori Wrasse start life as a female but transform into a male at a specific point in their lifecycle.

Maori Wrasse have a varied diet of small fish, crustaceans and marine invertebrates. They have a noteworthy set of teeth known as “protractile” teeth, which means they can project outwards to better catch passing prey. The Maori Wrasse have very strong jaws that they use to crush shells, and they have even adopted the method of banging shells on rocks to crack the shells. They are also known for being one of the few predators of the sharp-spined, toxic crown-of-thorns starfish, which helps protect the Reef from this prodigious coral eater.

Due to past hunting pressure, the Maori Wrasse is a fully protected species on the Great Barrier Reef as they are a highly endangered species.

Contributed by Whitsunday Conservation Council.

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