Humphead Wrasse

Photo: David Roche · CC BY-NC

One or two large humphead wrasse — the ocean's largest living coral reef fish — patrol Coral Garden with the unhurried confidence of apex predators. They feed on hard coral, sea urchins, and crown-of-thorns starfish, making them genuine ecosystem engineers that control outbreaks of coral predators. Their bulging forehead develops in males as they age, and the largest individuals may be 30 years old or more. IUCN lists them as Endangered due to overfishing pressure across most of their range, making Madagascar's protected sites critically important.