Close up of fasting male fish, hatching eggs by mouth

Not so busy with all the stuff like many fathers, the males of this species carry their babies in their mouths and must be fasting during the incubation period.

The great task is to hatch the eggs until the hatching of this jawfish is delivered to the male. These photos were taken in the waters off the Cayman Islands, the Caribbean.

To take these pictures, Dr. Peter Allinson had to dive to 18 meters deep in the Cayman Islands, the Caribbean. Dr. Alllinson had to wait 20 minutes before snatching the scene when the porpoise opened its mouth to get oxygen for the young fish.

After the mother spawns the eggs, the brood will fertilize the egg and suck the eggs in the mouth to protect the egg until it expands. During this time, the males were not fed and had a significant weight loss during incubation. After the fry hatch, the new male has time to eat and recover.