Marine life  /  Jawfish
4 of 1316 species
Group

Jawfish

Fish that live head-up in a vertical burrow they dig and line themselves, and drop back into it tail first when anything comes close. The burrow is as much a part of the animal as the fins.

Species
4
Depth
1–30 m
Rarity range
2 stars of 5, usually seen in a weekto 3 stars of 5, a good week should turn one up
Night only
None
Can hurt a diver
None
Destinations
8

The burrow is built rather than found. The fish carries shell and coral rubble to the rim one piece at a time in its mouth, packs the walls, and rebuilds constantly, so a few minutes spent watching one hole shows the whole business of running a household. A jawfish will also carry a stone that is too big for it and give up.

Males brood the eggs in the mouth and do not feed while they are doing it. Every so often the ball is spat out and taken straight back in, which airs it and takes about a second. It happens more often early in the morning, and it is the photograph everybody in this group is after.

Approach decides everything. A jawfish that has gone down while you were moving will stay down. Settle on the bottom several metres back, wait for it to come back up, and close the distance over minutes rather than seconds.

4 species

Photographed first, then commonest

4 written up, none photographed yet

Every one has a page. They are shown as a list rather than as pictures because nothing has been photographed or logged for them yet, and a species with nothing behind it should not sit in front of one that has.

Where they are recorded

How many of the 4 carry a record at each destination. A species usually carries several, so these do not add up to 4.

Lembeh Strait 2 Anilao 2 Dauin & Dumaguete 2 Florida 2 Bahamas 2 Ambon 1 Bali 1 Cayman Islands 1

The other groups

Anemonefish 11 Angelfish 25 Batfish 3 Blennies 26 Butterflyfish 35 Cardinalfish 13 Damselfish 32 Dottybacks 5 Dragonets 5 Eels & garden eels 18 Flatfish 8 Frogfish & anglers 26 Goatfish 8 Gobies & dartfish 29 Groupers & anthias 42 Hawkfish 5 Jacks & open-water fish 29 Lizardfish & flatheads 10 Morays 26 Morwongs & trumpeters 4 Parrotfish 16 Pufferfish & boxfish 23 Rabbitfish 5 Scorpionfish & lionfish 47 Seahorses & pipefish 53 Shrimpgobies 17 Snappers, breams & sweetlips 39 Squirrelfish & soldierfish 9 Surgeonfish & unicornfish 26 Triggerfish & filefish 25 Trumpetfish & cornetfish 4 Wrasses 56 Other fish 46 Sharks & rays 63 Turtles, sea snakes & crocodiles 11 Marine mammals & birds 10 Cephalopods 36 Nudibranchs & sea slugs 137 Sea snails & shells 26 Shrimps 38 Mantis shrimps 5 Crabs 45 Hermit crabs 10 Lobsters & squat lobsters 13 Isopods & parasitic crustaceans 5 Amphipods 2 Sea stars 18 Brittle stars & basket stars 7 Feather stars 2 Sea urchins 23 Sea cucumbers 12 Worms 11 Flatworms 3 Jellyfish & stinging drifters 10 Anemones & zoanthids 12 Corals & sponges 29 Sea squirts 4 Blackwater & plankton 52 Other invertebrates 2

All 1316 species in one index, with filters for destination, rarity and hazard.

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