Panamic Fanged Blenny

Sightings

2026 season, every one sourced

Photos

From California this season

No photos yet. If you photographed this animal in California this season, post it to the Coastal Bulletin.

Home Range

Where it normally lives

Bahía Sebastián Vizcaíno, Baja California, and the northern Gulf of California, south to Peru.

Range source: FishBase

The species lives from Bahia Sebastian Vizcaino on the Pacific side of central Baja California, and from the northern Gulf of California, south to Peru and the Galapagos Islands. It stays shallow, from the surface to about 60 feet.

Identification

The Panamic fanged blenny has a long, rounded body and small fleshy tabs above its eyes, on the back of its head and at its nostrils. Each jaw holds a single row of comb-like teeth. Young fish are dark, and adults turn brownish to olive with lighter markings and a dark spot behind the eye. Adults reach about 7 inches, though most are closer to 5.

Natural History

These blennies favor exposed rocky headlands with steep sides, right in the surge. Each one wedges itself into a crack close to shore and darts out to chase off intruders. They feed by day, scraping algae and small attached animals off the rock with their comb-like teeth. Their eggs stick to the rock, and the young drift in shallow coastal water before settling.

In California

The first 2026 record came from Avalon on Catalina Island on October 1. On October 28, 1 observer logged 5 records at Scripps Beach in La Jolla.

Taxonomy

Rarity

Rarity in the compendium is how often the animal has been reported on the California coast this season, not how rare it is where it normally lives. It moves as new sightings come in.