Fish
Fish
A group of ectothermic (cold-blooded) vertebrates who have fins instead of legs and have gills to survive in water.
Angelfish
Family: Pomacanthidae
- Angelfish are a family of more than 80 species of marine fish that are found in tropical reefs.
- Angelfish are often confused with butterflyfish which can be found in the same coral habitats.
- Angelfish have tall, narrow bodies that allow them to move efficiently and hide between tight corals.
- The largest species is the gray angelfish, which can grow to 2 feet in length!
- Some species of angelfish eat sponges and are very important in their ecosystem because they make room for new coral to grow.
- Marine angelfish are not very closely related to freshwater angelfish.
Banggai Cardinal Fish
Pterapogon kauderni
- Banggai cardinalfish are only found around the Banggai Islands of Indonesia.
- The Banggai cardinalfish is the only member of its family that is active during the day.
- They will hide among the reef or the spines of sea urchins for protection.
- These small fish are carnivores, feeding on tiny crustaceans and other invertebrates.
- Cardinalfish eggs and young fish are kept safe in the male's mouth for 4-6 weeks!
- He will not eat for the entire time he broods his offspring.
- Banggai cardinalfish are endangered primarily due to collection for the aquarium trade.
Black Tip Reef Shark
Carcharhinus melanopterus
- Blacktip reef sharks are relatively small sharks reaching just over 5-ft.
- They are named for their black fin tips and their frequency in reef habitats.
- They are one of the most common sharks in the tropical Indo-Pacific.
- Blacktip reef sharks are fast and agile, making them very successful when hunting fish, stingrays, and crustaceans in and near the reef.
- They can be found in large groups and have been observed hunting as a team.
- Unlike the whitetip reef shark, blacktip reef sharks must always be swimming to allow water (and oxygen) to pass over their gills.
- Blacktip reef sharks usually have small ranges and often stay in the same area for many years.
Blue Tang
Paracanthurus hepatus
- Also known as regal blue tangs, these fish live in warm, tropical waters near coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific Ocean.
- While they are a vibrant blue and yellow as adults, they are primarily yellow as juveniles with blue spots near their eyes.
- They like to hang out in pairs or small groups.
- Tangs are omnivorous, they feed on algae and plankton.
- Females can lay up to 40,000 eggs in a single season which hatch within 24 hours!
- Made famous by its role in Finding Nemo, royal blue tangs are one of the most popular fish in aquariums.
Clownfish
Subfamily: Amphiprioninae
- Clownfish are a subfamily of fish consisting of around 30 species.
- They are normally found in tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
- Clownfish have a mutualistic relationship with sea anemones. The stinging arms of sea anemones provide the clownfish with protection and leftover food, while the clownfish protects the anemone from parasites and supplies nutrients with their waste.
- Clownfish sometimes live in colonies with one female and juvenile males.
- If the female ever dies, the breeding male changes sex and becomes the new breeding female. One of the larger juvenile males then becomes the breeding male.
Copperband Butterflyfish
Chelmon rostratus
- Copperband butterflyfish are also known as beaked butterflyfish or beaked coral fish.
- They are one of more than 120 species in the butterflyfish family.
- They are usually found in shallow, tropical reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
- Their long, narrow snout is perfect for hunting small crustaceans and worms hiding in holes in the reef.
- Scientists think their eyespot (the dark circle near their tail) is supposed to trick predators into thinking they are larger than they are.
- These fish prefer to be alone except during breeding season when they can be found with their mate.
Cownose Stingray
Rhinoptera bonasus
- Cownose rays are a species of eagle ray that, like other eagle rays, have pointed fins, a long tail, and a venomous barb.
- The cownose stingray is named after the shape of its head which looks similar to the nose of a cow.
- A large cownose ray can have a wingspan of 7 feet!
- Unlike other stingray species, cownose rays rarely hang out on the seafloor.
- This ray can be found in warm, coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean but will also migrate in groups of several thousand.
- Like all stingrays, their mouth and gills are on the underside of their bodies, making them skilled bottom dwellers
- Cownose rays have been known to jump several feet out of the water!
Green Humphead Parrotfish
Bolbometopon muricatum
- The green humphead parrotfish is the largest species of parrotfish, weighing up to 150-lbs!
- They live in flexible groups in tropical waters near coral reefs.
- Most of their diet is dead coral and algae.
- They will use their large, beak-like teeth to bite off chunks of coral or will ram the reef with their enlarged head.
- They encourage reef growth by eating the algae which compete with coral for nutrients.
- The dead coral they eat comes out the other end as sand!
- One parrotfish can create 700-lbs of new sand in a single year.
Garden Eel
Heteroconger ssp.
- There are more than 20 species of garden eels that live in the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, along with the Red Sea.
- Garden eels are small eels that live in burrows in the sand where they can retreat to hide from predators.
- They keep about two-thirds of their bodies buried in the sand with their head exposed to catch small animals floating by.
- While most of their bodies stay hidden, they are known to poke their heads out, making them look like they are growing in the sand!
- They often live in groups in open sandy areas sometimes up to an acre in size.
- The largest species can reach more than 40 inches!
Green Moray Eel
Gymnothorax funebris
- Green morays are one of about 200 species of moray eels that are found all around the world.
- Green morays are found in reef ecosystems in the western Atlantic Ocean.
- Green moray eels are one of the largest species of morays, often measuring more than 7-ft long!
- While it may look green, the green moray actually has a brown body.
- The green coloration is a result of mucus that covers their body, which is thought to protect the eels from bacteria and parasites.
- This moray has two rows of teeth on its top jaw, but only one row on its bottom jaw.
- Green moray eels have been observed working cooperatively with cleaner shrimp and wrasses which eat the microbes from their bodies and mouths.
Hammerhead Shark
Family: Sphyrnidae
- There are nine species of hammerhead sharks!
- They live all around the world wherever there are warm, tropical waters.
- Their wide head allows their eyes to be set further apart which improves their vision.
- The great hammerhead is the largest species, reaching 20-ft long and 1,000-lbs!
- Hammerhead sharks generally eat many species of fish, stingrays, and even smaller sharks.
- Some hammerhead shark species are known to swim in very large schools while others are solitary.
Lionfish
Pterois ssp.
- Lionfish are a group of 12 fish species that are native to the tropical waters of the Indio-Pacific Ocean.
- Lionfish are solitary carnivores that prey on small fish and invertebrates.
- The long spines on their back can deliver a powerful venom that is said to be similar to cobra venom.
- Lionfish have become an invasive species in the western Atlantic.
- It is thought that the Atlantic population was introduced when a hurricane destroyed a local aquarium in 1992. Since then, private pets being released has also been an issue.
- As an invasive species, lionfish have disrupted the balanced ecosystem by outcompeting native species and reproducing quickly.
- Florida people combat the growing invasive population by fishing for nearby markets, where people benefit from the food and the ecosystem benefits from the reduction in lionfish populations.
Manta Ray
Mobula ssp.
- There are two species of manta rays found in temperate & tropical oceans across the entire planet.
- The giant (or oceanic) manta ray can reach 23-ft wide, while the reef mantas reach about 15-ft!
- Mantas are a close cousin of stingrays, but mantas do not have a barb or a stinger.
- Manta rays also have extra fins on either side of their mouth which are used to funnel food towards their mouth.
- Mantas open their huge mouths and consume shrimp, krill, and small fish by filter-feeding!
Moorish Idol
Zanclus cornutus
- Moorish idols are the only living species in their family.
- Though they resemble some species of butterflyfish, they are not closely related!
- These fish prefer tropical reefs where they dine on sponges and algae but can also be found in slightly deeper, murkier waters.
- The coloration of Moorish idols is thought to be disruptive coloration which can confuse predators, like eels and reef sharks.
- Moorish idols will mate for life; males will often fight to protect their mate!
Porkfish
Anisotremus virginicus
- Porkfish live in the tropical waters of the Atlantic near Central America.
- They can grow to be 15-inches long and often live in large schools.
- Like other species of grunts, porkfish create a grunting sound by rubbing their teeth together when threatened.
- Adults will eat invertebrates like mollusks and worms while juveniles will "clean" and eat parasites off of other animals.
- Porkfish grow to be 10 to 15-inches long and are active mostly at night-time.
- Juvenile porkfish have been observed in mangrove ecosystems where there is lots of protection!
Red-Bellied Piranha
Pygocentrus nattereri
- Also known as the red piranha, these fish can be found in portions of South America in freshwater.
- Red-bellied piranhas are omnivores and scavengers; they eat mostly plants, insects, crustaceans, and other fish.
- They can be found in large groups of up to 100 and can take down large prey like capybara!
- Piranhas are very important in their ecosystem because they control prey species populations and clean up dead materials.
- These fish are quite large, growing up to a foot in length!
Seahorse
Hippocampus ssp.
- While they may not look like regular fish, seahorses are true fish with more than 40 known species.
- Instead of having a normal tail fin, seahorses have a prehensile tail, meaning it has the ability to grasp!
- Seahorses are weak swimmers given their small fins, so they depend on their prehensile tails to stay put in currents.
- Their long, horse-like snout sucks up passing plankton and other small organisms like a straw.
- Unlike almost any other animal in the world, only male seahorses give birth.
- Females deposit their eggs in a pouch on the male's abdomen after an intricate courtship dance in which they wrap their tails together for up to 8 hours.
Spotted Eagle Ray
Aetobatus narinari
- Spotted eagle rays are large stingrays in the eagle ray family that live in warm, coastal waters.
- They are common in reefs but have been observed in the open ocean swimming in groups.
- Spotted eagle rays have been known to jump out of the water to escape predators.
- Eagle rays are one of the largest species of rays with a wingspan of 10-ft.
- They have several short barbs located near the base of their tail that deliver toxic venom; sometimes they have as many as 6 barbs.
- There is some debate over how many species of eagle rays exist!
Stonefish
Synanceia ssp.
- Stonefish are a genus of highly venomous fish with 5 species.
- They are the most venomous type of fish that exists!
- Most stonefish are found in the ocean, but some do live in freshwater rivers.
- Venom glands near the base of their dorsal fins deliver a powerful, neurotoxic venom when touched.
- They are very successful hunters partly due to their quick reflexes. They can snatch up nearby prey in a fraction of a second.
- Their incredible camouflage helps them hide from predators but makes them dangerous to unsuspecting people!
Sweetlips
Plectorhinchus ssp.
- Sweetlips are a group of roughly 30 species of grunts (which are related to snappers) that live in shallow reefs of the Indo-Pacific.
- It is not uncommon for different species of sweetlips to swim and rest together.
- Sweetlips are generally nocturnal; they will venture from the protected areas of the reef at night to feed on bristleworms and small crustaceans.
- Many species of sweetlips will change in appearance as they age.
- Some juveniles mimic poisonous flatworms to deter predators.
Whale Shark
Rhincodon typus
- Whale sharks are the largest fish on the planet, often weighing more than 40,000 lbs!
- Despite their large size, they eat tiny food! They filter feed on plankton and krill.
- Though they move slowly, whale sharks are migratory and can swim thousands of miles per year.
- Whale sharks give birth to live babies that are thought to be less than 2-ft in length!
- Each whale shark has a unique spot pattern, just like our fingerprints.
White-Spotted Puffer
Arothron hispidus
- White-spotted puffers or pufferfish are one of more than 200 species of puffers.
- They are solitary and will become aggressive if others invade their territory.
- They are fairly large fish, measuring up to 20-inches.
- White-spotted puffers feed on algae, dead matter, sponges, and coral.
- Like other puffers, they can inflate themselves with water to make it more challenging for predators to eat them.
- They have a symbiotic relationship with a bacteria that produces a toxin that puffers will use in defense.
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