The Variable Jawfish, Opistognathus variabilis, is a delightful species found in the Indo-West Pacific — from the eastern Indian Ocean (Maldive Islands and Sri Lanka) and throughout most of the central western Pacific, including the Ruykyu Islands and Palau.

There are approximately 80 species of jawfish.
They typically reside in burrows they construct in sandy substrate. They will stuff their mouths with sand and spit it out elsewhere, slowly creating a tunnel. Using the protection of these burrows, these fish will hover, feeding on plankton or other small organisms, ready to dart back in at the first sign of danger. They are territorial of the area around their burrows. You can see this characteristic behavior in this clip.

Jawfishes are mouthbrooders, meaning their eggs hatch in their mouths, where the newborn fry are protected from predators.