image credit: JimC_1946
image credit: Jim, diver.net
image credit: courtneyplatt
image credit: zahnerHabitat: coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea
Status: No conservation concerns
Now here’s an entertaining creature for ya. The Yellowhead Jawfish is very particular about its home and will burrow in just about any substrate available, though typically crushed shells and corals are the materials it typically works with. It uses its large mouth and jaws (from which it gets its name) as a shovel, extracting large quantities to dig a deep tunnel where it resides. Yellowhead Jawfish are very territorial and will never stray far from their burrows. I wouldn’t either if I put that much time and energy into building it!
The coolest part about the Yellowhead Jawfish though is the male’s role. Yellowhead Jawfish are mouthbrooders, meaning that one of the parents (in this case the male) keeps the young in their mouth to incubate them until they hatch. Typically, after courtship, the male fertilises the eggs and then collects them in his mouth, holding onto them until they hatch. During this time he cannot feed. He will occasionally open his mouth to aerate the eggs (shown in the 1st picture) before sealing up again.
Can you imagine that? A MAN sacrificing EATING. Now that’s dedication my friends.
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