Did you know that the Saddle Wrasse readily approach snorkelers or divers and often follow them around?

Thalassoma duperrey

Description • The Saddle Wrasse has a blue head, green body and lavender highlights on the edges of the pectoral and tail fins. It can grow up to 10 inches long.

Habitat • The saddle wrasse lives in the coral reef and prefer the rocky bottoms of the reef. They are active predators by day and hide in the in the reef crevices or bury in the sand during the night. They are found only in Hawaiian waters.

Diet • Saddle wrasse feed on crustaceans, molluscs, worms, brittlestars, and sea urchins. They have canine teeth in their upper and lower jaws to pluck their prey from the reef. Larger wrasses can also eat small fishes.

The Bird Wrasse in its inital stage was used for the treatment of brain diseases.

Gomphosus varius

Description • The Bird Wrasse has a long curved snout. Terminal males are dark green, female adults are white in front and darken to black at their tail while juveniles have a horizontal thick white stripe with a black stripe above and below. These active fishes grow to about 12.5 inches in length. The Hawaiian name of this fish makes reference to the bird 'I'iwi or Hawaiian Honeycreeper known for its long curved bill.

Habitat • Found near inshore reefs.

Diet •. Feed mainly on benthic crustaceans.