A huge number of unique inhabitants lurk in the oceans, most of which are still practically unexplored. One of them is Napoleon fish.
The largest representative of the Maori guban genus is Napoleon fish. On average, an adult weighs up to 200 kg and reaches two meters in length. Her life span is not more than 50 years. Due to the characteristic growth on the head, which in appearance resembles the headdress of the French emperor, its name was Fish Napoleon, a photo of which is confirmed.
Interestingly, quite a few representatives of the genus Gubans, including the Napoleon fish, are naturally hermaphrodites. Most males are born females and have the ability to spawn. And after about nine years of age, they change their gender, significantly increase in size, change color and protect their offspring.
Napoleon fish is very curious and therefore easily contacts people. If she often meets with him, then her memory is already triggered, and over time she gets used to it.
Puberty of the lips takes up to 5-7 years. Most Maori breed in the traditional way for fish: they gather several hundred individuals in groups and form pairs. The female, after mating at a shallow depth in the water, lays eggs, which then spreads over the course.
Napoleon fish has a distinctive feature from other fish - a night's sleep. And in order not to become the prey of marine predators during sleep, the bastards hide in their shelters - reef caves, under coral ledges or burrow in the sand, and some individuals wrap themselves in a slimy cocoon.
As noted above, Maori Guban is completely harmless and even very friendly, but, unfortunately, a person does not always behave the same. The meat of these huge fish is a delicacy, respectively, the dishes from them are an expensive pleasure and a favorite gourmet delicacy. Gradually, the demand for gubans only increases.
This amazing fish is listed in the Red Book. But, unfortunately, more and more poachers are engaged in illegal capture. If this continues to continue, the population of Napoleon fish will be in danger, because they mainly catch large representatives who underwent a sex change and became males, and females cannot reproduce alone.
Napoleon-fish has practically no enemies, with the exception of only some large species of sharks. Despite their good nature, they are real predators, whose main prey are crabs, starfish, mollusks, which they hunt only during the day, because they sleep at night. The hard shells of the victims are not a problem for sharp, like nails, teeth of a mouth, powerful jaws help to bite corals.
Napoleon fish is one of the few inhabitants of coral reefs eating corals and hunting sea hares, mollusks, sea urchins, crown of thorns. Unfortunately, their number is rapidly decreasing, over the past thirty years it has decreased almost twice.
