Panamic Lizardfish: Perched and Waiting on the Sand

The Panamic lizardfish earns its name with a reptile-like head, a mouth full of fine teeth, and a habit of propping itself on the sand like a little lizard sunning on a rock. It's an ambush hunter that bursts upward to grab passing fish. Here's how to spot one snorkeling near Jacó, plus five fun facts.

Panamic Lizardfish · Synodus lacertinus

How to spot the panamic lizardfish near Jacó

Look on open patches of sand and rubble near the reef. The lizardfish rests propped up on its fins, often half-buried, its mottled pattern blending with the bottom. Its pointy, lizard-like head and the way it 'sits' rather than hovers make it easy to pick out once you spot that reptilian face.

5 fun facts about the panamic lizardfish

• A lizard's face. Its pointed head, big mouth, and the way it props itself up on the bottom give it a distinctly lizard-like look — hence the name.
• Teeth even on the tongue. Its mouth is lined with rows of fine, needle-like teeth — even the tongue has them — so once it grabs prey, there's little escape.
• A buried ambush. It often wriggles down into the sand until only its eyes and snout show, then waits for a meal to pass overhead.
• An explosive strike. From a dead stop it launches straight up off the bottom to snatch passing fish, then settles back down to wait again.
• Built to blend. Its sandy, blotched coloring matches the seafloor so well that it's usually invisible until it moves.

The panamic lizardfish is just one of many characters down there. See the whole cast in our Snorkel Jaco fish directory, or read real guest photos and reviews on the Snorkel Jaco reviews.