---
title: "California Sheephead"
description: "Bodianus pulcher — Pesci. The California sheephead (Bodianus pulcher, (formerly Semicossyphus pulcher) is a species of wrasse native to the eastern Pacific Ocean."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/it/animal/california-sheephead
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# California Sheephead

> Bodianus pulcher — Pesci. The California sheephead (Bodianus pulcher, (formerly Semicossyphus pulcher) is a species of wrasse native to the eastern Pacific Ocean.

- Scientific name: *Bodianus pulcher*
- Category: `fish` (Pesci)
- Habitats: `sea` (Mare e costa)
- iNaturalist observations: 1801
- iNaturalist taxon: [1439813](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1439813)

## Names

- en: California Sheephead
- es: Vieja californiana
- fr: Labre californien

## Countries with the most observations

US (1488), MX (140)

## Summary

The California sheephead (Bodianus pulcher, (formerly Semicossyphus pulcher) is a species of wrasse native to the eastern Pacific Ocean. Its range is from Monterey Bay, California, to the Gulf of California, Mexico. It can live for over 50 years and can reach a size of up to 91 cm (3 ft) and a weight of 16 kg (35 lb). It is carnivorous, living in rocky reef and kelp bed habitats, feeding primarily on sea urchins, molluscs, and crustaceans.
All California sheephead are hatched female and morph into their male form at various stages in their lifecycle, determined by environmental conditions and pressures. Because of…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_sheephead

## Photo

![California Sheephead](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/california-sheephead/medium.jpg)

Photo: laiet17 · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/307445452

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/california-sheephead?lang=it` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).