Napoleon wrasse

Photo: David Roche · CC BY-NC

Large Napoleon wrasse cruise the northern wall's upper sections, often approaching divers with apparent curiosity and circling closely enough for detailed observation of their characteristic hump, green-blue scaling, and labyrinthine facial markings. They are protogynous hermaphrodites — all juveniles start as females and only the most dominant transition to male — meaning the largest individuals seen at Dolphin Reef North are almost certainly male. Their powerful jaws crush hard corals and molluscs to extract prey, giving them a key ecological role in nutrient cycling across the reef.