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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

Corals, Invertebrates

Smooth flower coral

The color of smooth flower coral varies between yellow, brown, gray and blue-green. Its flower-like polyps are larger and spaced...

Southern crayfish

Southern crayfish are bright blue in color with minor red spotting near their sides and belly. They have two large claws, eight...

Halloween Photo Collection

Southern spider crab

The southern spider crab is tan-brown in color with a triangle shaped shell. They have nine spines lining the front of their shell...

Southern stingray

Southern stingray

Spanish Hogfish

Spanish hogfish

Spanish hogfish are largely yellow in color with deep purple-blue coloring at the top of their body, near their head. They range...

Spanish Slipper Lobster

Spanish slipper lobster

The Spanish slipper lobster ranges from brown to orange and red in color. They have eight legs, a long tail and antennae on their...

Corals, Invertebrates

Spiny flower coral

Spiny flower coral can grow in flat or dome-shaped groups. They can range in color from gray and blue to green or pink. Corallites...

Split-nose rockfish

Split-nose rockfish are small in size and can range in color from pink and orange to red and white. They have large eyes, sharp...

Spot prawn

Spot prawns are orange-red in color with white stripes on their legs and antennae. They have long and slender bodies, muscular...

Spot-fin porcupinefish

The spot-fin porcupinefish has a grayish-tan body and a white body with black specks all over. These spots are actually spines...

Spotfin Butterflyfish

Spotfin butterflyfish

The spotfin butterflyfish has an oval, white body with bright yellow fins. Near the back of the dorsal fin is a large dark spot,...

Spottail pinfish

Spottail pinfish get their name from the small black dot at the base of their tail. Their bodies are oval and silvery in color.

Spotted eagle ray

Spotted eagle rays are large, diamond shaped rays; their pectoral fins look like wings! They have dark bodies with patterns of...

Spotted Garden Eel

Spotted garden eel

Baby spotted garden eels are solid black. As they mature, they turn white in color with three black spots down the sides of their...

Animals in the Oh Baby! Exhibit

Spotted lagoon sea jelly

Spotted lagoon sea jellies can vary in color from greenish-blue to yellow and brown depending on their environment. They have...

Spotted sand bass

This fish is light grey and covered with lots of tiny spots that can be black, brown or orange. The third spine on its dorsal...

Spotted Scorpionfish

Spotted scorpionfish

Spotted scorpionfish are masters of disguise, using their very textured and colorful bodies to seamlessly blend into coral reef...

Square Spot Anthias

Squarespot anthias

These fish get their name from the pale violet square on the side of their magenta colored body. They have deep orange coloring...

Staghorn Coral Outplants Near Key West

Corals, Invertebrates

Staghorn coral

Staghorn coral is golden yellow-tan in color. Its branches resemble antlers, stemming from a central stump and reaching outwards....

Corals, Invertebrates

Star coral

Star coral can be brown, green, gray or yellow in color. Their corallites (hardened circles surrounding the polyps) are pale,...

Stoplight parrotfish

These bright teal colored fish have rounded faces and forked tails. They have highlights of pink and yellow along their tail,...

Ridged Slipper Lobster

Stripe-legged slipper lobster

Stripe-legged slipper lobsters have rough brown-gray bodies with scatter red-orange spots. They have eight clawless legs with...

Striped Burfish

Striped burrfish

Striped burrfish have white bodies with brown stripes and dark spots near their fins. Yellow spikes line their body from head...

Striped Leg Hermit Crab

Striped hermit crab

Striped hermit crabs get their name from the distinctive brown and white striping on their legs. Their soft bodies can range from...

Striped mullet

Striped mullet are long and slender fish with faint yellow stripes that run from their gills to the base of their tail. They have...

Suckermouth catfish

Suckermouth catfish have long, elongated bodies with rough, bumpy scales and flat undersides. They have a dark brown-black base...

Sunrise dottyback

Sunrise dottybacks have yellow faces and topsides, deep blue midsections and white bellies. They have long and slender bodies...

Sunshine Chromis

Sunshinefish

Sunshinefish are small and olive green to yellow in color. They have white bellies and a forked tail.

Aquarium Photos

Swamp darter

Swamp darters are a small fish species with long, olive-brown bodies. They have darker, irregular spotting from their face to...

Sharks & Rays, Fishes

Swell shark

The swell shark is a small, nocturnal species of shark. They have large mouths, extending past their eyes. Swell sharks have a...

Bonaire Underwater Coral Photos

Corals, Invertebrates

Symmetric brain coral

Symmetric brain corals grow in massive boulder form and as encrusting plates. Like its name suggests, this coral has a brain-like...

Invertebrates, Corals

Tan bushy soft coral

Tan bushy soft coral is a branching coral with many extensions growing from a single base. Branches are densely gathered, tan...

Target rock shrimp

Rock shrimp get their name from their extremely hard exoskeletons. This species can range in color from red and gray to brown...

Atlantic Tarpon

Tarpon

Tarpon have special lung like features in their swim bladder that allow them to breathe oxygen from the surface if there isn’t...

Telescope wrasse

Female telescope wrasses range from entirely yellow to brown and gray in color, while males tend to have highlights of orange...

Thimble jellyfish

Thimble jellyfish are symmetrically round and resemble a dome. They have four short tentacles and a mouth in the center of their...

Three-colored hermit crab

Three-colored hermit crabs get their name from their tricolored (orange, blue and white) legs. Hermit crabs are only born with...

Chocolate Chip Sea Cucumber

Three-rowed sea cucumber

Resembling cookie dough, these sea cucumbers are brown-tan in color with irregular black dots.

Tomtate grunt

The tomtate grunt is silvery grey with yellow stripes running from their head to the base of their tail. They have light blue...

Treefish

You might recognize this fish by its pink lips or by the thick, black-olive bands on its body, which is yellowish below and dark...

Turban snail

These snails have spiral shaped shells with rows of beads and spines. They can range from tan, brown and cream to red in color.

Twolined monocle bream

Twolined monocle bream fish are two-toned in color, the top half of their body being black and the bottom half being silver. They...

Twospot bristletooth tang

Twospot bristletooth tangs have orange-brown bodies with fine blue lines. They have blue eyes, blue spots on their head, a black...

Corals, Invertebrates

Umbrella false coral

Umbrella false coral grow into stable structures called basal discs, or layered round plates. They can range in color from purple...

Corals, Invertebrates

Venus sea fan

Venus sea fans can be yellow, lavender or gray in color. They grow tall, interconnecting branches from a single base and resemble...

Waite’s splitfin

Waite’s splitfins are small fish that have bright purple bodies with a yellow strip on top. They have blue eyes, a deeply...

White grunt

White grunts are a shiny creamy color with highlights of bronze, yellow and blue. They have almond shaped bodies and forked tails.

White-spotted engina

White-spotted enginas have dark shells with lighter spots along each spiraled ridge. The top of their shell is pointy and conical,...