A Mouth Full

Just found two Yellow-barred Jawfish (Opistognathidae sp.) with eggs in Dauin, Philippines. These fish keep their eggs in their mouth and don't mind posing with them either. This little fella didn't look too happy, but then neither would I if I'd have a mouth full of eggs! It's the male Jawfish that takes care of this task, the eggs will hatch in its mouth where the fry are protected. By caring for their offspring in this way, mouthbrooding fish are able to produce smaller numbers of offspring with a higher chance of survival than species that offer no broodcare. The male that cares for the eggs is not able to eat during this period. Jawfish typically live in burrows along coral rubble areas. Canon 7d, Nauticam housing, 100mm, +10 subsee diopter, 2x Inon z240.
Photocomp February '11 - Open

Contributed by SteveDeNeef

2011-02-26