Look down at the sand between the coral heads on a Punta Cana dive and you may see a slim fish nosing along the bottom, with two long whiskers under its chin flicking over the sand like fingers. Every few seconds it plunges its head in, a small cloud of sediment rises, and a couple of other fish dart in to see what has turned up. That is a goatfish at work, and it is one of the most entertaining things to watch on a shallow reef.

Two species do most of this work on our dives: the spotted goatfish and the yellow goatfish. They share the same "beard" and the same diet, but they keep different hours, wear different colors and behave quite differently around the reef.

Quick Facts

Names: spotted goatfish, Pseudupeneus maculatus, and yellow goatfish, Mulloidichthys martinicus (both called salmonete in the Dominican Republic)
Size: spotted goatfish usually about 22 cm (9 in), up to 30 cm (12 in); yellow goatfish usually about 28 cm (11 in), up to about 45 cm (18 in)
Diet: small animals living in and on the sand: worms, small crustaceans, clams and other invertebrates
Depth: mostly from the shallows to about 35 m (115 ft), occasionally deeper
Range: western Atlantic, including Bermuda, the Gulf of Mexico, the whole Caribbean and the coast of Brazil
Status: both listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List

How to Recognize Goatfish

All goatfish share the feature that gives them their name: a pair of long, flexible barbels under the chin. When the fish is not feeding, the barbels fold back into a groove on the throat and are easy to miss. Goatfish also have two well-separated dorsal fins and a forked tail, and they almost always stay close to the bottom.

Spotted goatfish: a pale, often whitish or pinkish body with three large dark blotches along the upper side, below the dorsal fins, and fine bluish lines on the head. It can switch in under a minute to a pattern of bold red blotches, so the same fish may look completely different from one moment to the next.

Yellow goatfish: a whitish body with a bright yellow stripe from the eye to a yellow, forked tail. That stripe makes it easy to confuse with the yellowtail snapper, but the snapper has no barbels, a single continuous dorsal fin and swims well above the reef, while the goatfish stays down near the sand.

Behavior: Barbels, Feeding and Followers

A goatfish's barbels are covered in taste receptors. As it swims, it sweeps them back and forth over the bottom and pushes them into the sand, tasting for buried prey. When it finds something, it shoves its snout into the sediment, often up to the eyes, and sucks up its meal, blowing out the sand.

The two species work different shifts. The spotted goatfish is a daytime forager, usually seen alone or in small groups. Yellow goatfish spend the day hovering quietly in groups near the reef, often mixed in with schools of grunts that have a similar yellow-striped look. At night they spread out over the sand flats to feed. Young yellow goatfish are common in shallow seagrass beds.

The most interesting part is what happens around a feeding goatfish. Its digging flushes out small worms, shrimp and other creatures that other fish cannot reach by themselves, so opportunists gather to grab the leftovers: small wrasses, juvenile jacks and others. Biologists call this a nuclear-follower association, with the goatfish as the "nuclear" species. A study of spotted goatfish in Brazil found that the larger the group of goatfish feeding together, the more followers and follower species they attracted. The bar jack is one of the best-known followers on Caribbean reefs, shadowing bottom feeders such as goatfish and stingrays.

Where to See Goatfish in Punta Cana

Goatfish are common on our local dives wherever sand meets reef. Spotted goatfish are the ones you are most likely to see actively feeding during the day, in the sand patches and channels between coral heads at shallow sites such as El Niño (6 m, 20 ft) and deeper reefs like Park Reef (12 m, 40 ft).

For yellow goatfish, look along the reef edge for groups resting close to the coral, often next to grunts. Sites with ledges and canyons, such as Rock City, are good places to check. Because yellow goatfish do most of their feeding at night, daytime divers usually see them resting rather than digging.

You will also find goatfish on our species guide, along with the other reef residents our guides look out for.

Tips for Divers and Snorkelers

Watch the sand, not just the coral. Goatfish are easy to overlook until you start scanning the bottom.
Hover above, don't land. Stay neutrally buoyant a little above the sand. Kneeling or kicking the bottom stirs up a cloud and sends the goatfish away.
Look for the followers. When you see a few small fish hovering around one spot on the sand, there is often a goatfish digging underneath.
Be patient for photos. Wait for the moment the snout goes into the sand with the barbels spread. A low angle from the side shows the beard best.
Snorkelers: on calm days, spotted goatfish feeding in shallow sand patches can be seen from the surface.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are they called goatfish?

Because of the two barbels under the chin, which look like a goat's beard. They are taste organs that help the fish find food hidden in the sand.

Are goatfish dangerous?

No. Goatfish are small, harmless bottom feeders that ignore divers as long as you give them space.

Can you eat goatfish?

Yes, goatfish are eaten in many places, although they are a minor catch in the Caribbean. Ciguatera has been reported from yellow goatfish, as with other reef fish.

How do I tell a yellow goatfish from a yellowtail snapper?

Check the chin and the depth. The goatfish has two barbels and stays near the bottom; the yellowtail snapper has none and swims higher in the water, often following divers.

The next time you are on a reef, keep one eye on the sand. Join us for a two-tank reef dive in Punta Cana and watch the goatfish, and the crowd that follows them, at work. If you enjoy bottom dwellers, our hogfish guide covers another fish that roots through the sand for its dinner.