Evidence before certainty
Scientific names, conservation information, and care guidance are reviewed against trusted sources.
The ocean is alive with connections
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Life, organized by connection.
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Species explorer
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Abalone Snail
Haliotis asinina
Tropical abalone with a flattened ear-shaped shell, respiratory holes and a large muscular grazing foot.
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Worldwide temperate and tropical coastsRocky shoresReef habitat
Abalones
Haliotis spp.
A genus-level profile for living abalone images whose source records do not establish a species.
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Widely distributed in the world's deep oceans.
Abyssal Grenadier
Coryphaenoides armatus
Abyssal Grenadier (Coryphaenoides armatus) is a Macrouridae fish. Deep slopes and abyssal seabed; do not imply hadal residency.
View species profile →Naturalist Plateau (off Western Australia) and Tanzania.
Abyssal Skate
Bathyraja ishiharai
Reliable identification requires the species diagnosis or a regional skate key; no simple photograph-only field mark was verified.. Naturalist Plateau (off Western Australia) and Tanzania.
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Eastern Indian OceanWestern PacificAustraliaIndonesia
Acanthophyllia Donut Coral
Acanthophyllia sp.
A conservative genus-level profile for large, solitary, fleshy corals sold as Acanthophyllia or donut corals. Species-level identification is withheld without skeletal and origin evidence.
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Central PacificHawaiian IslandsOceania
Achilles Tang
Acanthurus achilles
A surge-zone surgeonfish of clear, oxygen-rich outer reefs, usually close to wave-washed rock and coral.
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Locality retained per photograph
Acidweed (Desmarestia ligulata)
Desmarestia ligulata
A brown seaweed that can release stored sulfuric acid when stressed.
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Indo-PacificGreat Barrier ReefLizard Island
Acropora Aculeus Coral
Acropora aculeus
A branching Indo-Pacific reef coral represented here by two source-identified records from Lizard Island.
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Indo-PacificAustraliaTorres Strait
Acropora Aspera Coral
Acropora aspera
A branching or table-forming Acropora associated with shallow reef flats, lagoons, and other tropical reef habitat.
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Indo-PacificAustraliaTorres Strait
Acropora Cerealis Coral
Acropora cerealis
A branching Indo-Pacific Acropora represented by a source-identified colony from Torres Strait.
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Tropical reefsIndo-PacificAtlantic and Pacific representatives
Acropora Corals
Acropora spp.
A genus-level collection of branching Acropora records, including owner-supplied aquarium trade forms whose species and commercial lineages are unconfirmed.
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Indo-PacificMaldivesWestern Pacific
Acropora Gemmifera Coral
Acropora gemmifera
A robust branching Acropora represented by a source-identified Maldives record.
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Indo-PacificAustraliaTorres Strait
Acropora Nana Coral
Acropora nana
A branching Indo-Pacific Acropora represented here by a source-identified colony from Mer Island in Torres Strait.
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Indo-PacificMaldivesWestern Pacific
Acropora Polystoma Coral
Acropora polystoma
A source-identified Indo-Pacific Acropora associated with shallow, wave-exposed reef habitat.
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Indo-PacificMaldivesWestern Pacific
Acropora Sarmentosa Coral
Acropora sarmentosa
A branching Indo-Pacific coral represented by a source-identified Maldives record.
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Indo-PacificWestern PacificTropical reefs
Acropora Secale Coral
Acropora secale
A branching Indo-Pacific Acropora represented by a source-identified reef record.
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Western PacificJapanAustralia
Acropora Solitaryensis Coral
Acropora solitaryensis
A plate-forming or branching western Pacific Acropora associated with tropical and subtropical reef habitat.
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Indo-PacificAustraliaTorres StraitWestern Indian OceanWestern PacificCentral Pacific
Acropora Tenuis Coral
Acropora tenuis
A branching Indo-Pacific reef coral represented here by a source-identified corallite record from Torres Strait.
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Sumatra and Mentawai Islands, Indonesia
Adorned Fairy Wrasse
Cirrhilabrus adornatus
Adorned Fairy Wrasse. Rubble on outer reef slopes.
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Western Indian Ocean
Adorned Wrasse
Halichoeres cosmetus
Adorned Wrasse is a marine wrasse in the family Labridae. Shallow coral and rocky reefs, with mixed coral and rubble on lagoons and outer slopes.
View species profile →Western Indian Ocean; confirmed from Mozambique, with additional published Kenya and Socotra records. Somali and Pakistani specimens require separate identification.
African Dwarf Sawshark
Pristiophorus nancyae
Five lateral gill slits, paired snout barbels nearer the mouth, ridged bases of large saw teeth and two dark longitudinal snout stripes.. Western Indian Ocean; confirmed from Mozambique, with additional published Kenya and Socotra records. Somali and Pakistani specimens require separate identification.
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Western Indian Ocean, from African waters through western island groups toward Maldives and Chagos, with Cocos (Keeling) records.
African Flameback Angelfish
Centropyge acanthops
A dark blue to black pygmy angelfish with a golden-orange head and back and a pale golden caudal fin. It differs from western Atlantic C. aurantonotus.
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Western Indian OceanEast AfricaReunion
African Longfin Fairy Wrasse
Cirrhilabrus africanus
A fairy wrasse associated with coral and rubble slopes in the western Indian Ocean, swimming above the bottom to feed.
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Western African coastal and connected inland waters, from southern Mauritania toward northern Angola.
African Manatee
Trichechus senegalensis
Grey-brown wrinkled skin, rounded paddle tail, bristled lips and nails on the flippers; the only living sirenian native to this range.. Western African coastal and connected inland waters, from southern Mauritania toward northern Angola.
View species profile →Southwestern Indian Ocean off South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania.
African Ribbontail Catshark
Eridacnis sinuans
Small, slender grey-brown shark with a long ribbon-like caudal fin and relatively long snout compared with its congeners.. Southwestern Indian Ocean off South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania.
View species profile →Eastern Atlantic along western Africa, from southern Morocco toward Namibia.
African Sawtail Catshark
Galeus polli
Small narrow-headed shark with a long snout, large eyes and upper-tail denticle crest. Eastern Atlantic along western Africa, from southern Morocco toward Namibia.
View species profile →Southern African waters.
African Softnose Skate
Bathyraja smithii
Softnose skate requiring specialist diagnosis; do not confuse with eatonii.. Southern African waters.
View species profile →Western Indian Ocean: northeastern South Africa, Mozambique and Madagascar. Older tropical East African records require taxonomic review.
African Spotted Catshark
Holohalaelurus punctatus
Very broad head, dense small brown spots, tiny dark pores under the head and conspicuous pale marks near fin origins; mouth corners lack labial furrows.. Western Indian Ocean: northeastern South Africa, Mozambique and Madagascar. Older tropical East African records require taxonomic review.
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Aggregating anemone
Anthopleura elegantissima
A small intertidal anemone that forms dense clonal patches; symbiotic algae contribute energy.
View species profile →Southeastern Pacific: Ecuador south to Peru.
Aguja Skate
Bathyraja aguja
Reliable identification requires the species diagnosis or a regional skate key; no simple photograph-only field mark was verified.. Southeastern Pacific: Ecuador south to Peru.
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Florida Keys
Aiptasia-eating Berghia Sea Slug
Berghia stephanieae
The captive-bred Berghia used for Aiptasia control, with a specialised food requirement that continues after an infestation is removed.
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Eastern Indian OceanWestern PacificSri LankaJapanNew CaledoniaNorthern and eastern AustraliaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) Islands
Aiptasia-eating Filefish
Acreichthys tomentosus
A small, camouflaged filefish also called the bristle-tail leatherjacket. Its aquarium reputation comes from eating pest Aiptasia anemones, although individual performance varies and it also eats other foods.
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North Pacific: Korea, Japan and Sea of Okhotsk north to Aleutian Islands (U.S.A.), then southeastern Gulf of Alaska (U.S.A.) south to central California (U.S.A.).
Aleutian Skate
Bathyraja aleutica
Paired scapular thorns and a midline thorn row on a long tail are reported; confirmation requires a regional key.. North Pacific: Korea, Japan and Sea of Okhotsk north to Aleutian Islands (U.S.A.), then southeastern Gulf of Alaska (U.S.A.) south to central California (U.S.A.).
View species profile →Northwest Australian endemic, Bonaparte Archipelago to Monte Bello Islands.
Allen’s Skate
Pavoraja alleni
Confirm using the original diagnosis or a regional skate key; no reliable simple photograph-only field mark verified.. Northwest Australian endemic, Bonaparte Archipelago to Monte Bello Islands.
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Australian taxonomic records
Alpheus digitalis Snapping Shrimp
Alpheus digitalis
A snapping shrimp whose supplied aquarium photograph uses the older name Alpheus distinguendus.
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Amazon and Orinoco drainage basins of South America under the SMM single-species treatment.
Amazon River Dolphin
Inia geoffrensis
Long beak, flexible neck, large flippers and low dorsal ridge; colour ranges from grey to pink and changes with age and individual history.. Amazon and Orinoco drainage basins of South America under the SMM single-species treatment.
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Amazon basin and connected freshwater tributaries in northern South America.
Amazonian Manatee
Trichechus inunguis
Smooth dark-grey to black skin, usually pale chest or belly patches, rounded paddle tail and flippers without nails.. Amazon basin and connected freshwater tributaries in northern South America.
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Indo-PacificIndian OceanWestern Pacific
Amberfish Sea Cucumber
Thelenota anax
A large tropical sea cucumber of reef slopes, lagoons, and sandy or rubble-strewn bottoms.
View species profile →Known from a specimen collected in the Ambon–Seram area, Maluku Islands, eastern Indonesia.
Ambon Catshark
Akheilos suwartanai
Pale brown catshark with numerous rusty spots, similar-sized dorsal fins, a short rounded snout and well-developed mouth-corner grooves.. Known from a specimen collected in the Ambon–Seram area, Maluku Islands, eastern Indonesia.
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Indo-West PacificSoutheast AsiaGreat Barrier Reef
Ambon Damselfish
Pomacentrus amboinensis
A shallow lagoon and reef-flat damselfish associated with branching corals, rubble, and sandy reef margins.
View species profile →Western Atlantic: southern Caribbean and northern South America, including Hispaniola and Honduras to Suriname.
American Legskate
Schroederobatis americana
Heart-shaped smooth disc, slender leg-like anterior pelvic lobes, pointed snout filament and no dorsal fins.. Western Atlantic: southern Caribbean and northern South America, including Hispaniola and Honduras to Suriname.
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Northwest AtlanticAtlantic CanadaNortheastern United StatesAtlantic
American Lobster
Homarus americanus
A large clawed lobster of the northwest Atlantic continental shelf, living on rocky, gravel, and mixed seabeds that provide shelter.
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Western AtlanticBermuda and the Caribbean south to Brazil
American Whitespotted Filefish
Cantherhines macrocerus
A large Atlantic reef filefish with variable spotting and two pairs of conspicuous spines at the tail base.
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Amphiroa articulated coralline algae
Amphiroa sp.
Amphiroa articulated coralline algae (Amphiroa sp.) is a red alga in the family Lithophyllaceae.
View species profile →Indian Ocean: Tanzania; Myanmar; Nicobar Islands (India).
Andaman Legskate
Cruriraja andamanica
Redescription diagnosis includes a single enlarged mid-disc thorn row multiplying along the tail, rostral/nuchal/scapular thorns, short interdorsal space and pale dorsal fins and tail tip.. Indian Ocean: Tanzania; Myanmar; Nicobar Islands (India).
View species profile →Andaman Sea off Phuket, Thailand.
Andaman Legskate
Sinobatis andamanensis
Narrow disc, long snout with bulbous tip and short filament; fresh specimens bluish, underside partly translucent.. Andaman Sea off Phuket, Thailand.
View species profile →Eastern Indian Ocean, Myanmar and Thailand to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.
Andaman Smoothhound
Mustelus andamanensis
No small white body spots; first dorsal dark above without white margin, second dorsal dark distally, narrow pale caudal edge and dark terminal tip. Eastern Indian Ocean, Myanmar and Thailand to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.
View species profile →Temperate Southern Hemisphere waters, with records around New Zealand, southern Australia and subantarctic islands.
Andrews’ Beaked Whale
Mesoplodon bowdoini
Dark body, pale beak tip and paired broad teeth in adult males near the middle of an arched lower jaw.. Temperate Southern Hemisphere waters, with records around New Zealand, southern Australia and subantarctic islands.
View species profile →Showing 48 of 2152 species profiles
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Species are presented as part of habitats, food webs, communities, and wider ocean systems.
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