Cockerel Wrasse

Interesting Info

• The Cockerel Wrasse is found on coral and rocky reefs around Australia, especially along the eastern coast from Queensland to New South Wales, and in parts of Western Australia.
• Males are brilliantly coloured with bright blue and green patterns across the head, fins, and upper body, while the lower body is reddish-orange. These colours are most vivid when the male is displaying to females or defending its territory.
• Females and juveniles are much less colourful, usually reddish-brown or mottled, which helps them blend into coral rubble and seaweed for protection from predators.
• Cockerel Wrasses feed mainly on small invertebrates such as crustaceans, worms, and molluscs, which they pick from sand and coral crevices.
• They use a clever feeding method called suction feeding, where they rapidly expand their jaws to create a vacuum that sucks in prey before it can escape.
• The species is also known to host parasites including copepods and flatworms, which attach to the skin or gills.
• Cockerel Wrasses form spawning aggregations in the warmer summer months, where males and females come together in groups to release eggs and sperm into the water column.
• Like many wrasses, they are protogynous hermaphrodites, beginning life as females and later changing sex into males as they grow larger and stronger.
• In the wild, they live for around 5 to 8 years, although many are taken by predators before reaching old age.
• They play an ecological role by keeping populations of small invertebrates in check, helping to balance reef ecosystems.
• Divers and snorkellers may spot them darting among coral heads and rubble slopes, with the colourful males being especially eye-catching against the reef background.