Caesio cuning
Encounter Rate
Spotting Difficulty
Best Season
Year-round
Depth Range
1-50 meters
The yellowtail fusilier is the signature schooling fish of Komodo National Park, forming enormous shimmering clouds of blue and yellow that blanket the reef at current-swept sites. These sleek, streamlined planktivores are a vital link in the reef food web, converting zooplankton into fish biomass that feeds the park's sharks, trevallies, and other apex predators. Schools numbering in the thousands are a common sight at exposed pinnacles and reef edges, creating breathtaking walls of colour that are the backdrop to many of Komodo's most famous dive site photos. Yellowtail fusiliers are perpetual motion machines, constantly swimming into the current with their mouths open to filter plankton, and their synchronised schooling behaviour is a marvel of collective coordination. When threatened by predators, the school compresses into a tight, swirling ball known as a bait ball, creating one of the ocean's most dramatic spectacles as sharks and trevallies attack from all angles.
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Average Size
20-30cm
Size Range
10-40cm
Maximum Size
40cm
Planktivore feeding on zooplankton, particularly copepods and small crustacean larvae. Schools swim into the current with mouths open to filter passing plankton.
The yellowtail fusilier is the signature schooling fish of Komodo National Park, forming enormous shimmering clouds of blue and yellow that blanket the reef at current-swept sites. These sleek, streamlined planktivores are a vital link in the reef food web, converting zooplankton into fish biomass that feeds the park's sharks, trevallies, and other apex predators. Schools numbering in the thousands are a common sight at exposed pinnacles and reef edges, creating breathtaking walls of colour that are the backdrop to many of Komodo's most famous dive site photos. Yellowtail fusiliers are perpetual motion machines, constantly swimming into the current with their mouths open to filter plankton, and their synchronised schooling behaviour is a marvel of collective coordination. When threatened by predators, the school compresses into a tight, swirling ball known as a bait ball, creating one of the ocean's most dramatic spectacles as sharks and trevallies attack from all angles.
This species plays an important role in the marine ecosystem of Komodo National Park. Responsible diving practices help protect these animals and their habitat for future generations.
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Castle Rock, Crystal Rock, and Batu Bolong consistently host massive fusilier schools. The best displays happen when the current is running strong, bringing plankton and concentrating the fish.
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