December 2021

Common name : Dragon eel, Dragon moray,Hawaiian dragon eel, Leopard moray eel Scientific name : Enchelycore pardalis Family : Muraenidae Native to : Indo-Pacific region Interesting fact : The eel changes colour and pattern as its matures into an adult. Conservation status : Not Evaluated The dragon moray eel is a stunning orange fish with […]

Common name : Forktail dottyback Scientific name : Pseudochromis dixurus Family : Pseudochromidae Native to : Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and India Interesting fact :  Males guard the fertilized eggs and fan them to provide oxygen, not letting even females near them. Conservation status : Least Concern Dottybacks are small, vividly coloured reef

Common name : Heaviside’s dolphin, Benguela dolphin Scientific name : Cephalorhynchus heavisidii Family : Delphinidae Native to : Angola, Namibia and South Africa Interesting fact : Being mammals, dolphins are born with hair on top of the rostrum which is lost after two weeks. Conservation status : Data Deficient Dolphins are playful mammals living in

Common name : Black-spotted puffer Scientific name : Arothron nigropunctatus Family : Tetraodontidae Native to : Indian and Pacific Oceans Interesting fact : The skin of thispuffer fish secretes mucus to protect itself from parasites. Conservation status : Least Concern This puffer fish has unique canine features giving it the common name. It holds a

Scientifc name : Hypomesus transpacificus Family : Osmeridae Native to : Sacramento–San JoaquinRiver Delta in California Interesting fact : The deltasmelts die shortly after spawning. Conservation status : Critically Endangered Found only in California, the delta smelt is a tiny, transparent, silvery blue fish found in the freshwater-saltwater mixing zone of the estuary but migrates

Scientific name : Taningia danae Family : Octopoteuthidae Native to : North Atlantic Ocean, Cape Verde Islands Interesting fact : During mating, the male cutsthe female’s flesh to deposit its sperms.      Conservation status : Least Concern One of the largest known squids, they grow 1.7-2.3 metres long and weigh up to 161.4 kg. The bioluminescent

Common name : Crown of thorns starfish Scientific name : Acanthaster planci Family : Acanthasteridae Native to : Indo-Pacific Ocean Interesting fact : The stomach of this starfish secretes digestive enzymes to absorb nutrientsfrom liquefied coral. Conservation status : Not Evaluated The crown of thorns is a starfish with many arms and venomous spines covering

Common name : De Beaufort’s flathead,Giant flathead Scientific name : Cymbacephalus beauforti Family : Platycephalidae Native to : Western Pacific Oceans Interesting fact : Their eyes have frilly lappets to camouflage their irises effectively. Conservation status : Not Evaluated Aptly named, this fish looks like a crocodile with its flat headand a long body which

Common name : Paddlefin wrasse, Mexican rainbow wrasse, Lollipop wrasse Scientific name : Thalassoma lucasanum Family : Labridae Native to : Eastern Pacific Ocean Conservation status : Least Concern Found in the Sea of Cortez, these beautifully coloured fish live in small groups in reefs. Femalesand males have yellow, red and blue-green stripes running along

Scientific name : Anthozoa Family : Alcyonacea Native to : Oceans worldwide Interesting fact : The Great Barrier reef in Australia is the largest coral reef that is 2600 km long. Conservation status : Threatened Corals are invertebrate animals that look like plants. Over 70,000 species of corals are known. They grow in clear, shallow

Common name : Plankton Scientific name : Copepoda Native to : Oceans and freshwater worldwide Interesting fact : The cysts produced by females can remain dormant for years and hatch when returned to water. Copepods are the most abundant creatures living in water with over 13,000 known species. These small crustaceans are 1-2 mm long

Scientific name : Strombus gigas Family : Strombidae Native to : Indian and Pacific Oceans Interesting fact : The meat of a conch is edible and its shells are used as souvenirs and musical instruments. A conch is a group of sea snails of about 50 species. They inhabit sandy bottoms among the bed of

Common name : West Indian Ocean coelacanth, African coelacanth, Gombessa Scientific name : Latimeria chalumnae Family : Latimeriidae Native to : Atlantic and Indian Ocean Interesting fact : Coelacanths have electricity detecting organs in their snouts. Conservation status : Critically Endangered Coelacanth means ‘hollow spine’ in Greek, referring to its hollow fin spines. It is