The Napoleon Wrasse Is An Underwater Hermaphrodite

According to the Census of Marine Life, “Exceeding two meters in length, the Napoleon Wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) is one of the largest reef fish found in the warm waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans. The intricate blue-green design that decorates the face resembles New Zealand Maori war paint, the root of its alternative name, the Maori Wrasse.

The designs are also unique to each individual, much like fingerprints. A protogynous hermaphrodite, this wrasse can change its sex from female to male.” So this fish is about as long as a grown human male, resembles people from an indigenous tribe from New Zealand preparing for war, and changes from male to female.