221 Amazing Marine Animals Encyclopedia

Common name : Hump whale, Hunchbacked whale Scientific name : Megaptera novaeangliae Family : Balaenopteridae Native to : Oceans worldwide Interesting fact : Males sing a song for 10-20 minutes which they repeat for hours at a time. Conservation status : Least Concern The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale that feeds on […]

Scientific name : Limulus polyphemus Family : Limulidae Native to : Canada, Mexico and United States Interesting fact : Their blood is blue due to hemocyanin and has amebocytes giving them immunity from pathogens. Conservation status : Near Threatened The horseshoe crab is found in sandy bottoms of oceans. It grows up to 60 cm

Common name : Laced moray, Tesselate moray, Honeycomb moray, Reticulated moray Scientific name : Gymnothorax favagineus Family : Muraenidae Native to : Indo-Pacific Ocean Interesting fact : Its skin secretes mucus protectin it from predators, parasites and infection and also helping it move faster in the water. Conservation status : Not Evaluated Living in crevices

Common name : Atlantic herring, Bismark herring, Cleanplate herring, Golden cure Scientific name : Clupea harengus Family : Clupeidae Native to : North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans Interesting fact : Herrings are a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D for humans. Conservation status : Least Concern The herring is a group

Common name : Humpback turretfish, Camel cowfish, Thornbacked boxfish, Hovercraft boxfish Scientific name : Tetrosomus gibbosus Family : Ostraciidae Native to : Indo-West Pacific Ocean Interesting fact : The eyes of the helmet cowfish can move in different directions. Conservation status : Least Concern The helmet cowfish hovers around coral reefs, rocky areas, sand flats

Scientific name : Neomonachus schauinslandi Family : Phocidae Native to : North-West Hawaiian Islands Interesting fact : During mating males attack females, called mobbing, sometimes even killing them. Conservation status : Endangered Hawaiian monk seals prefer tropical waters unlike most seals that prefer cold waters. They are excellent swimmers adapted with large hind flippers and

Scientific name : Choerodon fasciatus Family : Labridae Native to : Western Pacific Ocean Interesting fact : It has large orbital eyesthat move independently from each other. Conservation status : Least Concern Harlequin tusks live among reefs at depths of 5-35 metres. They are brightly coloured with shades of blue, green and orange. They have

Common name : Atlantic halibut Scientific name : Hippoglossus hippoglossus Family : Pleuronectidae Native to : North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans Interesting fact : The name halibut is derived from ‘Hali’ (holy) and ‘butt’ (flat fish), as it was eaten on Catholic holidays. Conservation status : Endangered The halibut is a dark brown flat

Common name : Cornish salmon, European hake, Herring hake Scientific name : Merluccius merluccius Family : Merlucciidae Native to : Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean Interesting fact : Hake is a popular food fish and can be substituted in cod fish recipes. Conservation status : Not Evaluated About 12 species of hakes are known and

Scientific name : Melanogrammus aeglefinus Family : Gadidae Native to : North Atlantic Ocean Interesting fact : Haddock is a popular food fish. Conservation status : Vulnerable Haddocks belong to the cod fish family and live in cold waters that are 2-10 degrees. Juveniles stay in shallow water while adults venture into the deeper sea.

Scientific name : Arctocephalus townsendi Family : Otariidae Native to : Mexico’s Guadalupe Island Interesting fact : The mother makes alternate trips to sea returning to nurse the pup till it is 8-9 months old. Conservation status : Least Concern Living in volcanic caves along island shores is the guadalupe fur seal. It is dark

Common name : Gulf grunion Scientific name : Leuresthes sardina Family : Atherinopsidae Native to : Pacific Ocean and Gulf of California Interesting fact : Grunion runs are popular where people enjoy catching the spawning fish. Conservation status : Near Threatened Grunions are small, slender fish with blunt, rounded snouts. They have no teeth and

Common name : Tiger grouper Scientific name : Mycteroperca tigris Family : Epinephelidae Native to : Western Atlantic Ocean Interesting fact : Groupers are protogynous hermaphrodites, with a large male controlling harem of 15 females. Conservation status : Least Concern Groupers have stout bodies and large mouths with crushing tooth plates inside the pharynx. They

Common name : Sand tiger shark, Spotted ragged-tooth shark Scientific name : Carcharias taurus Family : Odontaspididae Native to : Sub-tropical and temperate waters worldwide Interesting fact : They are the only known sharks that surface to gulp air and float. Conservation status : Vulnerable The grey nurse shark has a pointy head and a

Common name : White shark, White pointer Scientific name : Carcharodon carcharias Family : Lamnidae Native to : Coastal waters worldwide Interesting fact : The great white shark detects its prey by the electrical impulses from the body of the prey. Conservation status : Vulnerable Living as deep as 1,200 metres, the great white shark