Biting off more than he can chew: Fascinating breeding habits of the jawfish who nurses 400 eggs in his mouth

16:43 • 21.03.14
Science/tech

For those who complain about carrying a baby in your tummy, spare a though for the poor male jawfish.

The six-inch fish nurses 400 eggs inside his mouth, forced to keep it open to provide oxygen-rich water for his little 'uns.'

Jawfish reproduce by the female laying hundreds of eggs inside a male jawfish's mouth, and he then fertilizes and incubates them, the Daily Mail reports. 

There is also no chance to pop to the pub for a Sunday roast, as it has to remain in a burrow to keep the eggs safe, only feeding on zooplankton floating by.

This rare insight into the jawfish's behavior was captured in the shallow waters of the Philippines near Coron Island.

Wildlife photographer and conservationist Zafer Kizilkaya said he had never seen one so big when he set his eyes upon it during a dive.

Mr Kizilkaya, 45, from Foca, west Turkey, said: ‘At first it was quite shy and only part of its head was visible sticking out of the hole in the rubble.

‘My buddy and I watched for about two hours before it became sufficiently confident to leave its burrow.'

Mr Kizilkaya added: ‘We were fascinated to see the fish allowing water to circulate and oxygenate the eggs.

‘I shot this picture when it opened its mouth and started to rotate the eggs.

‘Hatching takes place at dusk and then the larvae are released, drifting on their own in the currents.

‘Around 300-400 larvae are about to hatch in these photos.

‘I checked the area where I found this particular specimen and saw four others - but none was carrying eggs nor were they as big.’
 

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