Sarcastic fringeheads are small fish found along the Pacific coast from San Francisco to Baja California, Mexico. They typically measure between 3 and 8 inches in length, but can grow up to 12 inches. These fish are known for their aggressive behavior and have been observed attacking divers who come too close to their territory.
Sarcastic fringeheads live in shells or other underwater structures and defend their territory by yawning at each other. When males compete for mates, they engage in mouth-to-mouth combat, using their large colorful mouths to intimidate and dominate their opponents. The bigger the fish’s mouth, the more chance it has of winning this battle.
Sarcastic fringeheads are highly territorial and there is intense competition between males for prime spots in which to set up their home. If they don’t have a burrow, they won’t be able to reproduce. This makes these animals highly territorial, and there is intense competition between males for prime spots in which to set up their home: if they don’t have a burrow, they won’t be able to reproduce.
When fighting over territory, the fish try to intimidate their opponents by opening their jaws wide to display the bright colors inside. If the competitor isn’t scared off by the giant, colorful mouth display, the pair will launch into mouth-to-mouth combat, pressing their wide mouths together. While this may look like the fish are kissing, they are in fact aggressively defending their territory from each other.
