Humphead wrasse
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
The humphead wrasse is the largest member of the wrasse family.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Humphead wrasse
- Scientific name
- Cheilinus undulatus
- Japanese name
- メガネモチノウオ（ナポレオンフィッシュ）
- Group
- Ocean animals
- Order
- Labriformes
- Family
- Labridae
- Genus
- Cheilinus
Where the name “Humphead wrasse” comes from
It is also called Napoleon fish because its head hump resembles Napoleon’s hat.
葛西臨海水族園Because the hump on its head looks like the hat Napoleon wore, it is also called the "Napoleon fish."
A large wrasse that lives in tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans.
When young, it has a black band behind each eye that makes it look like it is wearing glasses, which is where its Japanese name (megane means glasses) comes from.
As it grows, it changes from female to male. Fully grown males have a bulging hump on the head.
How the Humphead wrasse lives
It lives around rocky and coral reefs and eats bottom-dwelling animals and fish.
葛西臨海水族園Basic data
- Size
- Total length: 2 m
- Diet
- Benthic organisms, fish, and other foods
- Range
- Tropical and subtropical Indian and Pacific Oceans
- Conservation status in Japan
- Near Threatened (NT)Ministry of the Environment of Japan, Marine Red List (2017)
Where the Humphead wrasse has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 简体中文
- 波纹唇鱼
- 繁體中文
- 曲紋唇魚
- 한국어
- 큰양놀래기
- Español
- Pez Napoleón
- Français
- Napoleon
- Deutsch
- Napoleon-Lippfisch
- Português (Brasil)
- Peixe-napoleão
- Italiano
- Pesce napoleone
- العربية
- سمكة نابليون
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Ikan Napoleon
- Tiếng Việt
- Bàng chài đầu gù
- Русский
- Рыба-наполеон
- ไทย
- ปลานโปเลียน
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 葛西臨海水族園 — メガネモチノウオChecked: 2026-11-03
- Ministry of the Environment of Japan, Marine Red List (2017)Checked: 2026-11-07
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
The conservation status in Japan is the category in the Red Lists of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, which assess the risk of extinction for wild animals in Japan.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Humphead wrasse, look for this
- Look for the male’s dark green body.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
葛西臨海水族園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Humphead wrasse
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
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