Cuckoo Wrasse

Photo: Libby Keatley · CC BY

Cuckoo wrasse are the most visually dramatic fish on the Wuddy Rocks reef — males in breeding condition display vivid cobalt-blue heads with electric-orange flanks and approach divers with apparent curiosity. All cuckoo wrasse are born female and can transition to male later in life, making any single dive a potential encounter with individuals at multiple life stages. They feed on invertebrates picked from the anemone-covered rock, hovering precisely in the mild current.