The Yellowhead jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons) is a mouthbrooder – a paternal mouthbrooder. The male Yellowhead jawfish incubates his offspring’s eggs in his mouth until the eggs hatch and the juveniles are large enough to free swim. Jawfish burrow holes in sandy and rubbled areas and make their homes by excavating sand and rubble with their mouth. If you are patient and very still, you will see them stick their heads out of their burrow and swim up vertically and hover above their sandy home. The Yellowhead is found throughout the Caribbean in shallow waters. They are pale in color with a yellow head – hence their name: the Yellowhead! It was a thrill to finally see a male Yellowhead with his eggs in Little Cayman on Three Fathom Wall. It would be fun to observe the Yellowhead with his eggs over a period of days and see the actual release of the juveniles.
