Slingjaw Wrasse

Interesting Info

• The Slingjaw Wrasse lives across the tropical Indo-Pacific and in Australia it occurs from Western Australia’s offshore reefs across the Top End to Queensland, including the Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, and the Indian Ocean territories of Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
• This fish has a party trick that beats them all because it can sling its jaws forward into a long tube to vacuum up prey in a blink.
• When the jaws are not in action they fold neatly under the head so the fish looks normal until it suddenly strikes.
• Males usually show a pale face with a dark line through the eye and darker body colours with warm orange along the back that gleams in sunlight.
• Females come in two common outfits because many are bright banana-yellow while others are chocolate-brown that blends into reef shadows.
• Juveniles are brown with thin white bars and little white lines around the eye so they can pass for tiny reef fish that predators ignore.
• Some females stay yellow for years and whole patches of reef can have “yellow teams” moving from coral head to coral head.
• The slingjaw hunts small fishes and crunchy reef snacks like shrimps and crabs by gliding slowly and then snapping forward with its super-stretch mouth.
• It prefers coral-rich lagoons and outer reef slopes and it is often seen alone cruising drop-offs and sandy channels.
• Scientists think this species may follow the wrasse family habit where some females change into males as they grow, although this has not been fully confirmed yet.
• Spawning happens high in the water when pairs rush upward together and release tiny eggs that drift away on the currents.
• The fish is active in daylight and rests inside the reef at night where it is harder for hunters to find.
• Other names include Jawslinger, Sling-jaw and Telescopefish which all celebrate that amazing extendable mouth.
• Exact lifespan is not well studied in the wild but large adults suggest many years to reach full size.