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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.

374 Results

Lane snapper

Lane snappers have oval, silvery bodies with yellow lines from head to tail and a small black spot near the base of their dorsal...

Corals, Invertebrates

Leaf plating montipora

Leaf plating montipora range in color from purple and blue to brown. In strong currents, this coral develops tightly wound, compact...

Leatherback sea turtle

Unlike other turtles, leatherbacks’ have soft shells that aren’t directly visible because they’re covered by...

Lemon goby

Lemon gobies are small fish that range in color from yellow to green and black. They often form close associations with coral,...

Lesser devil ray

Lesser devil rays get their name from their cephalic fins- two flexible fins near the front of their heads. When they are not...

Lesser siren

These freshwater salamanders have long, snake-like bodies, varying in color between gray, brown and black. Lesser sirens have...

Corals, Invertebrates

Lesser starlet coral

Lesser starlet coral grows in small mounds or encrusting sheets. Each corallite is shaped like a small star, giving this coral...

Lightfoot snail

Shaped like a spiral cone, lightfoot snails can range from orange to yellow in color. These snails are often found climbing high...

Lightning Whelk

Lightning whelk

These marine snails have long, striped shells that open on the left, unlike other marine snail shells. They prey on bivalves like...

Lined Seahorses

Lined Seahorse

Lined seahorses rely on their coloring and texture to camouflage themselves into their environment for protection from predators....

Spock the Loggerhead

Loggerhead sea turtle

Loggerhead sea turtles are skilled swimmers and divers, thanks to their large, paddle-like flippers. Their big eyes help them...

Long-armed hermit crab

Long-armed hermit crabs can be white, green, gray or brown in color depending on their environment. This hermit crab has long...

Bonaire Underwater Coral Photos

Long-spine porcupinefish

Long-spine porcupinefish have dark brown spotting all over their bodies and a dark bar running from eye to eye. When threatened,...

Longspine Sea Urchin

Long-spined sea urchin

These round urchins have long, venomous spines extending out from every side. While the primary function of the spines is defense,...

Longsnout butterflyfish

These coral reef-dwelling fish use their long snouts to reach into crevices and feed on small invertebrates such as coral polyps...

Longspine squirrelfish

Longspine squirrelfish have flat, orange and white striped bodies with forked, yellow-orange tails. They have small spines that...

Lori’s anthias

Lori’s anthias are pinkish-purple in color with bright red vertical bars running down their back. Like other anthias species,...

Mahi-mahi

Mahi-mahi, also commonly referred to as dolphinfish, are large, brightly colored fish. The coloration of the mahi-mahi can range...

Maiden goby

Maiden gobies have long, white bodies with irregular orange spotting from their gills to the base of their tail. They have a split...

Manatee grass

Manatee grass is long, slender and tubular in shape and bright yellow-green in color.

ID information for this pufferfish is needed. It was living in the same exhibit as Hang Tough the green sea turtle as of March 2023.

Map puffer

Map puffers have a distinctive map-like pattern on their body, which is how it earned its name. These puffers can inflate their...

Marine betta

A large, false eye-spot near the base of their tail and dorsal fin helps confuse predators. Their elegant, elongated fins fan...

Masked goby

Masked gobies are small marine fish commonly found in coral communities close to shore. They are translucent with a horizontal...

Corals, Invertebrates

Massive starlet coral

Massive starlet corals are groups of reddish-brown polyps, taking the shape of boulders or low-lying domes. Their hardy structure...

Looe Key Reef Pictures

Mat anemone

Mat anemones can be various colors including blue, green, pink and yellow. They form large colonies and their polyps can reproduce...

Midnight parrotfish

Midnight parrotfish are brighter blue as juveniles and shift to darker hues as adults. Like other parrotfish species, midnight...

Mimic surgeonfish

Mimic surgeonfish use their coloration to blend into certain environments and avoid predators. Like other surgeonfish, they have...

Moon jellyfish

These jellyfish are almost completely translucent. Their reproductive organs form a distinctive, flower-like pattern on the top...

Restored Mountainous Star Coral Spawning 2020

Mountainous star coral

Mountainous star coral has a unique algae called D symbionts that provide it food and energy. Found throughout the western Atlantic...

Invertebrates, Corals

Mushroom coral

Mushroom corals are highly diverse, displaying a wide range of colors, patterns, and textures. Their soft, fleshy bodies are covered...

Corals, Invertebrates

Mustard hill coral

Mustard hill coral is an encrusting coral species that forms large colonies on hard surfaces. It gets its name from its bright,...

Multi-barred Cardinalfish

Mutli-barred cardinalfish

Multi-barred cardinalfish are small in size with large eyes, a wide mouth and two dorsal fins. Their large eyes are adapted to...

Napoleon wrasse

Napoleon wrasses can range in color from blue-green to purple-blue. One of its most distinctive features is its hump-like knob...

Neon goby

Neon gobies have dark blue-black bodies with a bright blue stripe starting at their eyes and ending at the base of their tail....

A river otter swimming underwater.

North American river otter

The short statured North American river otter has highly adapted physical features that equips them for both aquatic and terrestrial...

Northern sea nettle

These sea jellies can range from pink and orange to white and yellow. Their bell has darker radial lines and 24 long, thin tentacles...

Nurse shark

Nurse sharks range from yellow-tan to brown, blending into the sandy ocean floor. They have two sensory barbels near their mouths,...

Ocean Surgeonfish

Ocean surgeon

Ocean surgeonfish have oval bodies, ranging from yellow to pale green-gray, with dark blue fins and bands of orange and green....

Ocean whitefish

Bat stars are typically vibrant red-orange in color, though they can also be found in shades of white, green, purple and pink....

Olive rockfish

Olive rockfish are commonly found in kelp forests and rocky reefs along the Pacific coast, often schooling near the surface...

Corals, Invertebrates

Omelette leathery soft coral

Leathery soft corals can range in color from pink, yellow and brown to blue and green. They grow mushroom-shaped polyps and form...

Orange Shoulder Tang

Orange shoulder tang

Orange shoulder tangs are small, compressed oval-shaped fish. Their name comes from the large orange spot near their gills. Like...

Corals, Invertebrates

Orange spiny rod coral

This species of coral grows long, tall and bushy branches from its base. Despite its name, orange spiny rod coral can also be...

Orbiculate batfish

Their flat, disc-like bodies allow them to remain close to the ocean floor, where they blend in with their surroundings. They...

Palette Surgeonfish (Regal Tang)

Pacific blue tang

Pacific blue tangs are small fish with royal blue bodies and bright yellow tails. On their sides, they have a dark blue “palette”...

Pacific sea nettle

These sea jellies are bright orange and large. They have a translucent bell (head) with 24 long, thin tentacles and four more...

Pajama Cardinalfish

Pajama Cardinalfish

Pajama cardinalfish are small in size with large, red eyes, a yellow head and dark brown tail fins. Pajama cardinalfish are nocturnal,...

Pakistani butterflyfish

Pakistani butterflyfish are gray with green-yellow dorsal fins and small orange tails. They have a vertical white stripe near...