The Milvusmigrans (scientific name) or black kite has a very cosmopolitan distribution, but is a native resident of India and South-East Asia. Medium-sized bird of prey, the black kite is largely brownish with very little rufous colouring in the plumage. The head and neck are a lighter colour. The base of the beak is yellow […]
Common name : Short snouted seahorse Scientific name : Hippocampus hippocampus Family : Syngnathidae Native to : Oceans worldwide Interesting fact : The male has a pouch on the ventral side, used for carrying the eggs. Conservation status : Data Deficient The seahorse has a horse-like head and lives in seagrass beds, estuaries and coral
Common name : Demon stinger, Devil stinger Scientific name : Inimicus didactylus Family : Synanceiidae Native to : Western Indo-Pacific Ocean Conservation status : Not Evaluated Masters of camouflage, sea goblins are venomous fish with spines on their backs. Found buried in sandy areas or on coral outcrops, they wait for their prey and catch
The Ardeola grayii (scientific name) or Indian-pond heron is also known as the paddybird. An average 17.5 inches in length, this bird is usually hunched and hence its long neck appears short and stocky. While the underparts, specifically the belly, legs and rump are white, the wings are a dark brown colour near the shoulders.
Common name : Leopard sea cucumber Scientific name : Bohadschia argus Family : Holothuriidae Native to : Indian and Pacific Oceans Interesting fact : Sea cucumbers communicate by sending hormone signals through the water. Conservation status : Least Concern Shaped like a cucumber, the sea cucumber lives on the sea floor. They have leathery skins
The Loriculus galgulus (scientific name) or blue-crowned hanging parrot is mostly found in the forested lowlands from Thailand to Borneo. This parrot is mostly green in colour, with a crown of blue on its head. The adult male has a black beak, a red throat and a rump and yellow lower back. The female is
Scientific name : Sphyrna lewini Family : Sphyrnidae Native to : Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans Interesting fact : The hammer of the shark is made of cartilage and has sensory organs that detect changes in the water. Conservation status : Endangered The shark has a hammer on its head with the eyes and nostrils
The Eos bornea (scientific name) or red lory is native to the Moluccas Islands in Indonesia. They are pugnacious, flamboyant birds, which are very playful and colourful in appearance. 12 inches in length, the red lory, as the name suggests, is bright red in colour, with blue, black markings on its back and wings. It
Common name : Atlantic Salmon Scientific name : Salmo salar Family : Salmonidae Native to : North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans Interesting fact : The age of a salmon can be determined by the rings on the otolith, its earbone. Conservation status : Least Concern Salmons, being anadromous, are born in freshwater, migrate to the
Common name : Atlantic redfish, Norway haddock,Red perch, Red bream, Golden redfish, Hemdurgan Scientific name : Sebastes marinus Family : Sebastidae Native to : North Atlantic Ocean Interesting fact : The young ones of therose fish are brown in colour. Conservation status : Not Evaluated The rose fish is bright red, flattened sideways with a
The Psittacus Alexandri Linnaeus (scientific name) or mustached parakeet is a native of the Himalayas, and is also found from Southern China to Indonesia. With a maximum height of 16 inches, the mustached parakeet is easily identifiable because of the mustache-like markings below its beak. While the male is more attractive in the species, with
Common name :Ribbon moray, Black ribbon eel, Blue ribbon eel, Yellow ribbon eel Scientific name : Rhinomuraena quaesita Family : Muraenidae Native to : Indo-Pacific Ocean Interesting fact : They are sequential hermaphrodites,developing female parts as they grow, until they are able to lay eggs. Conservation status : Least Concern Ribbon eels are found in
Common name : Sawtooth shark Family : Carcharhinidae Native to : Temperate and tropical oceans worldwide Interesting fact : Requiem sharks are the second largest group of sharks and are highly dangerous to humans. Conservation status : Near Threatened Requiem sharks are migratory sharks found in warm coastal waters and coral reefs. They are 3-18
The Psittacula cyanocephala (scientific name) or plum-headed parakeet is found only in the Indian and Sri Lankan forests and woodland areas. About 13 inches in length, with an extremely long tail, the male and the female are different. The male is more vibrant and attractive with a red head, shading to bluish-purple on the back,
Common name : Fish stone, Reef stone, Poisonscorpionfish, Dornorn Scientific name : Synanceia verrucosa Family : Synanceiidae Native to : Indo-Pacific Ocean and Northern Australia Interesting fact : The reef stonefish is highly venomous, with spines in its dorsal fin that inject venom into its prey and even humans. Conservation status : Critically Endangered The