Orange-dotted tuskfish


The orange-dotted tuskfish is a species of wrasse native to the Indo-Pacific region from Sri Lanka in the west to French Polynesia in the east. Its range extends north to the Ryukyu Islands and south to New Caledonia. It inhabits reefs at depths from. This species can reach a length of.

Potential tool use

An orange-dotted tuskfish named Percy starred in the first episode of BBC's Blue Planet II. Filmed at the Great Barrier Reef, Percy, who was female at the time, was filmed repeatedly breaking open clams by carrying them to a specific group of hard coral termed by filmmakers as a 'castle', and then striking the clams against a specific patch on the coral until they crack. The same behavior has been documented in individuals from Palau, and similar behavior have been recorded in the related blackspot tuskfish and a few other wrasse species. This is potentially a form of tool use by animals.

Relationship with humans

The orange-dotted tuskfish is commercially important, and can be found in the aquarium trade.