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MEET THE ANIMALS

Animal Encyclopedia

Learn about aquatic species

Mote scientists work with many of these species to learn more about their roles in marine ecosystems and how to conserve their populations. You can even visit some of these species at Mote! Click on each species to learn more.

Species Type

Exhibit Location

352 Results

Blue rockfish

Contrary to their name, blue rockfish are silver in color, darkening to black towards their triangular tail. They have irregular...

Blue runner

The blue runners are olive green in color despite their name. They have a silvery-white belly and forked yellow tail. They also...

Bonaire Underwater Coral Photos

Blue spotted rock cod

Blue spotted rock cod are red-brown in color with small turquoise dots covering their entire body. They have bright orange spines...

Blueface angelfish

Blueface angelfish are striking fish with various textures and patterns all over their body. These fish have a deep blue scrawled...

Bluefin killifish

Bluefin killifish are small in size with soft fins. Males have blue fins with orange at the base, while females’ are translucent....

Bluegill

Bluegill fish get their name from the small, dark blue dot that sits on their gills. They’re golden yellow in color with...

Bluegreen chromis

As their name suggests, bluegreen chromis have iridescent scales that change from blue to green when sunlight reflects off of...

Bluehead wrasse

Bluehead wrasses’ color patterns vary based on their age and environment. They get their name from the final stage of life...

Blueline rabbitfish

Blueline rabbitfish are also called masked rabbitfish because of the mask-like black line running across their face. These fish...

Bluespine Unicornfish

Bluespine unicornfish

Bluespine unicornfish have blue-gray dorsal sides and white bellies. They have a long, slender extension off of their forehead,...

Bluespotted sunfish

Bluespotted sunfish are olive green and yellow in color with small, light blue irregular spotting from their face to the base...

Bluestripe snapper

Bluestripe snappers have yellow bodies, white bellies and four pale blue stripes running horizontally from their face to the base...

Bluestriped grunt

Bluestriped grunts are bright yellow with horizontal, neon blue stripes running from their head to the base of their tails. Their...

Corals, Invertebrates

Blushing star coral

Blushing star coral gets its name from its orange-red coloring and star-shaped polyps. This species of coral is mesophilic, meaning...

Sharks & Rays, Fishes

Bonnethead shark

Bonnethead sharks are smaller relatives to the hammerhead shark. They’re grayish brown in color with shovel-shaped heads.

Sharks & Rays, Fishes

Bottlenose wedgefish

Bottlenose wedgefish have a similar shape to guitarfish, with a long triangular face, wide wings and large dorsal fin. Along the...

Corals, Invertebrates

Branching frogspawn coral

Branching frogspawn corals form colonies of extensive branching polyps. Their polyps range in color from green and gray to pink...

Sharks & Rays, Fishes

Brown banded bamboo shark

Brown banded bamboo shark

Brown chromis

Brown chromis are largely silver/gray in color, despite their name. They have highlights of yellow on their dorsal and tail fin...

Corals, Invertebrates

Brush coral

Brush coral grows in cauliflower-like knobs extending from a singe base. They range from orange and pink to brown in color.

Bulbnose unicornfish

Bulbnose unicornfish get their name from their large, rounded snouts. They are silvery-gray in color with slightly darker dorsal...

Sea Cumumber Sp.

Burrowing sea cucumber

Burrowing sea cucumbers are yellow-white in color with tiny hairs and bumps protruding all of their body. Their mouthes are at...

Butter hamlet

Butter hamlet are pale yellow in color with darker grey shadowing at the dorsal (top) side of their body. There are bright iridescent...

Calico rockfish

Calico rockfish white bodies with red-brown thick, irregular diagonal stripes running from their gills to the base of their brown...

Public domain via: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paralithodes_californiensis_3.jpg

California king crab

California king crabs are able to live in a variety of environments because of their ability to adjust to changing water temperatures....

California Sheephead Male

California sheephead

Female California sheephead look different from males. Scientists call this “sexual dimorphism.” Females are reddish pink...

Corals, Invertebrates

Candy cane coral

Candy cane coral can be green or brown in color. Growing from a single base, their polyps are striped around the edges like candy...

Cardinal soldierfish

These fish are almost entirely red-orange in color with highlights of blue and purple on their fins and forked tail. They have...

Caribbean king crab

Caribbean king crabs are highly adaptable invertebrates and are able to live in polar or temperate aquatic ecosystems. This species...

Caribbean peppermint shrimp

Peppermint shrimp have a vibrant reddish/brown body with white striping. They are hermaphroditic, meaning they have both female...

Caribbean reef octopus

Caribbean reef octopuses have white bodies with an orange and brown vein-like pattern from their head to their arms. They have...

Caribbean spiny lobster

Caribbean spiny lobsters have a reddish-brown shell, with occasional darker and whiter spots. They get their name from the pointy...

Conical Spined Sea Star

Caribbean spiny sea star

Caribbean spiny sea stars are brown-red in color with a bumpy texture covering their body. They have five arms and a mouth on...

Cheeklined wrasse

Cheeklined wrasses have an appearance that varies depending on their age, sex and environment. Males are greenish-grey on their...

Cherub Angelfish

Cherubfish

Cherubfish have dark purple-blue bodies with bright yellow heads.

Animals in the Oh Baby! Exhibit

Chocolate chip sea star

Chocolate chip sea stars have a creamy white base and dark brown projections, resembling chocolate chips. These sea stars have...

Clonal anemone

The clonal anemone, also called the aggregating anemone or pink-tipped anemone, has beautiful tentacles with tips of pink, purple...

Clown Surgeon

Clown surgeon fish have yellow and blue horizontal striping from their heads to the base of their dark blue, forked tail. Clown...

Clown sweetlips

Adult clown sweetlips have orange-brown bodies with large, white, outlined spots. Their fins begin brown near their body and fade...

Common Clownfish

Clownfish

Clownfish and anemones live in a mutual symbiotic relationship with each other. Clownfish use anemones as shelter from predators...

Cobia

Cobia are highly adaptable fish, able to survive in environments with low oxygen and high water temperatures. Fairly anti-social,...

Octopus & Kin, Invertebrates

Common octopus

The common octopus has smooth skin with special cells called chromatophores helping them change color quickly. Using camouflage...

Common Snook

The distinct black lateral line of the common snook make them easily identifiable. They have a sloping forehead and a protruding...

My complete revised and edited photos from the fall term as photography intern. These photos include multiple fish, otters, Cecil, Buffet, seahorses, crabs, and more.

Coney grouper

The coney grouper is hermaphroditic, meaning they are born female and mature into males, producing both eggs and sperm at different...

Photos of Aquarium Animals by Miguel Montalvo

Convict blenny

Convict blennies have a striking appearance with their brightly colored yellow bodies and irregular black spotting. Their funky...

Convict surgeonfish

Convict surgeonfish are pale yellow-white in color with 5-6 thin brown stripes running vertically from their eyes to the base...

Coral catshark

Coral catsharks have the ability to change colors to blend into their environment, making it easier to hide from predators and...

Shrimpfish at Mote Aquarium

Coral shrimpfish

Coral shrimpfish are small, slender fish with compressed bodies. They’re yellow-brown in color with a single dark stripe...