Yellowtail Surgeonfish: Bright Tail, Hidden Blades

The yellowtail surgeonfish is easy to pick out by its bright yellow tail — and it carries a surprise: scalpel-sharp spines near that tail, the reason surgeonfish got their name. It's beautiful to watch, best admired without touching. Here's how to spot one near Jacó, plus five fun facts.

Yellowtail Surgeonfish · Prionurus punctatus

How to spot the yellowtail surgeonfish near Jacó

Look along the rocks for a gray fish with a vivid yellow tail, usually moving in a loose group as it grazes algae. They're steady, unhurried swimmers, so once you spot that yellow tail you can follow the school as it works its way along the reef.

5 fun facts about the yellowtail surgeonfish

• Hidden scalpels. 'Surgeonfish' comes from the sharp, blade-like spines near the tail — the reason to admire them without reaching out to touch.
• That bright yellow tail. The vivid tail is the quickest way to pick this surgeonfish out of a busy reef crowd.
• Reef gardeners. They mow algae off the rocks, which helps keep the reef from being overgrown and out of balance.
• They travel in schools. You'll often see them in roving groups, moving along the rocks together as they feed.
• An Eastern Pacific native. It ranges from the Gulf of California down the coast, right into Costa Rican waters.

The yellowtail surgeonfish 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.