Sabertooth Blenny
Also calleddiente sable
The listed range includes 1 California locality, King Harbor in Redondo Beach, then picks up again at Isla de Cedros in central Baja California. Notable for numbers: 7 iNaturalist records in 2026.
Sightings
2026 season, numbered oldest first, every one sourced
- #5Nov 1, 20262 reportsScripps Pier, La Jolla
- #4Oct 31, 20261 reportScripps Pier, La Jolla
- Source
- iNaturalist 412044621
- #3Oct 30, 20262 reportsScripps Pier, La Jolla
- #2Oct 29, 20261 reportSan Diego County
- Source
- iNaturalist 411665344
- #1July 11, 20261 reportMission Beach, San Diego
- Source
- iNaturalist 380509893
About this fish
What it is, where it comes from, and whether it has been here before
How it lives
Adults live in empty shells left by tube-forming snails, often with the head poking out of the opening. FishBase says they join loose groups of look-alike rainbow wrasse and dart out to nip passing fish. Skin and mucus from larger fish are the main food, and they also eat eggs. The eggs are attached to the walls of the shelter, and the male guards them until they hatch.
Where it normally lives
King Harbor in Redondo Beach, then Isla de Cedros in central Baja California south to Peru, including the Gulf of California, the Galapagos Islands and many other offshore islands.
This blenny lives from central Baja California south to Peru, including the Gulf of California, the Galapagos Islands and many other offshore islands. The listed range also includes 1 California locality, King Harbor in Redondo Beach, far north of the rest.
Range source: Love and colleagues, 2021 checklist of Pacific coast fishes · FishBase · Mexican Fish.com
In California
A 2001 paper gave the first California record, from King Harbor. In 2026, iNaturalist users logged 7 records: Mission Beach on July 11, La Jolla on October 29, and 5 from 1 observer at Scripps Pier from October 30 to November 1. Those 5 may include the same fish more than once.
Photos
From California this season
No photos yet. If you photographed this animal in California this season, send it in.
Identification
How to tell it from the locals
The sabertooth blenny is a small, slim fish, about 4 inches long at most. Mexican Fish describes a broad brown band running from the snout through the eye to the tail, with a narrow off-white stripe just above it. The dorsal fin, the fin along the back, is black with a blue-white edge, and the belly is off-white.
Details
Rarity in the compendium is Nautical Nick's call on how likely a diver is to run into the animal on the California coast this season, not how rare it is where it normally lives.