Page 95 - (DK) Super Shark Encyclopedia: And Other Creatures of the Deep

MALE

MOUTHBROODER

JAWFISH

It looks like a tight squeeze but what better place for
baby jawfishes to hide from danger than in their dad’s
mouth? He scoops up a hundred or so of his partner’s
eggs in his mouth and cares for them as they develop.
Once hatched, he will spit them into the ocean current
and his work is done. Then he will return to using his big
mouth for shifting sand and stones. In this way he can
keep his burrow in order and make sure that it does not
cave in. He selects stones and pieces of rock that are just
right for reinforcing the sides of his burrow.

AT A GLANCE

• SIZE 1 ⁄2–20 in (4–50 cm) long
1
• HABITAT Shallow marine coastal waters, where
they burrow in sand or silt
• LOCATION Western Atlantic, Indian,
and Pacific Oceans
• DIET Small animals caught on the sea floor
or from the plankton

STATS AND FACTS

GAPE OF MOUTH
Jawfish use their
in 1 2 3
big mouths to dig
burrows. Some even
cm 2 4 6 8
prop a stone “door”
3
approx. ⁄16–2½ in
at the entrance for
(0.5–6.5 cm)
extra protection.
DEPTH OF BURROW
in 10 20
20
cm approx. 4–20 in 40 60
7-10 (10–50 cm)
TIME FOR EGGS TO HATCH
DAYS
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