Jawfish

ID points

• Large head and wide mouth, with the eyes set high on top
• Lives in a vertical burrow it digs in the sand, showing only its head
• The male broods the whole clutch of eggs in his mouth

Basics

Family

Opistognathidae

Length

8–15 cm

Depth

3-40 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs · Caribbean & W. Atlantic

Distribution

Sandy bottoms on tropical coral reefs

Habitat

Sandy patches on tropical reefs

Diet

Zooplankton, small crustaceans

Easily confused with

BlennyOften has forked fleshy tentacles above the eyesBoxer CrabEach claw holds a small anemone like a boxing gloveCone SnailCone-shaped shell patterned like printed cloth

Fun fact

The Jawfish uses its outsized mouth to excavate a burrow in the sandy bottom, then spends its days with only its head poking out of the entrance, waiting for prey to pass. The male broods the fertilised eggs inside his mouth until the young hatch out.