Sabertooth Blenny: The Reef's Cheeky Trickster

The sabertooth blenny is a slim, fast little fish with a big personality and an even bigger set of fangs. It lives tucked in a hole and darts out to nip a quick meal off passing fish, then zips back home. Here's how to spot one snorkeling near Jacó, plus five fun facts.

Sabertooth Blenny · Plagiotremus azaleus

How to spot the sabertooth blenny near Jacó

Watch for a small, slender fish hovering just outside a hole in the reef, or shooting out in a quick dash and vanishing again. It often holds its head poking out of an empty worm or shell tube. Its striped, elongated body and darting, nervous movements set it apart from the calmer grazing blennies.

5 fun facts about the sabertooth blenny

• Those are real fangs. The 'sabertooth' name comes from two large curved fangs it uses to nip tiny bites of scales, skin, and mucus off larger fish.
• A hit-and-run feeder. It rushes out, takes a quick nip from a passing fish, and retreats to its hole in a blink — a true hit-and-run specialist.
• A clever disguise. It can mimic the colors of harmless cleaner fish, so other fish let it approach — then it grabs a bite instead of cleaning them.
• Lives in a borrowed home. It doesn't dig its own hole; it moves into empty worm tubes, barnacle shells, and other ready-made crevices.
• Tail-first retreat. It backs into its hole tail-first, leaving just its fanged face peeking out to watch for the next meal.

The sabertooth blenny 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.