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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

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. Male sunshinefish play a...

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

Symmetrical 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

Target rock shrimp are named for their hard, armor-like exoskeletons. They can range from red and gray to brown and black. They...

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

Telescope wrasses have black bars running horizontally through their eyes. These black bars are more prominent in females and...

Thimble jellyfish

Thimble jellyfish have a distinct, dome-shaped appearance, making them easy to spot in the water. They have only four short tentacles,...

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

These sea cucumbers might resemble cookie dough, but their texture and coloring helps them blend in and avoid predators. They...

Tomtate grunt

The tomtate grunt is silvery gray with yellow stripes from head to tail and light blue fins. Younger fish have a small black dot...

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. The name “turbo,” derived from the Latin word...

Twolined monocle bream

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

Twospot bristletooth tang

Twospot bristletooth tangs have crescent-shaped tails, and like other surgeonfish, they possess a sharp, retractable spine near...

Corals, Invertebrates

Umbrella false coral

Umbrella false corals range in color from purple and red to green and blue depending on environmental factors such as water depth...

Corals, Invertebrates

Venus sea fan

Venus sea fans can be yellow, lavender or gray in color. Their flexible structure helps them withstand strong currents without...

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 sea urchin

These urchins can be grayish or pale tan, sometimes with pinkish tinge. Also referred to as collector urchins, they earn their...

White-spotted engina

White-spotted enginas are most active at night, scavenging for food along the ocean floor. Their thick, patterned shells provide...

Whitespotted greenling

These small fish spend time around coastal algae, rocks, pilings and eelgrass beds. They can be light greenish brown with hints...

Sharks & Rays, Fishes

Whitetip reef shark

Whitetip reef sharks are a smaller species of shark, with grayish brown coloration and a distinctive white tip on their dorsal...

Corals, Invertebrates

Yellow cup coral

Depending on water flow and conditions, yellow cup corals can grow into plates, cups, or even column-like structures. Unlike many...

Yellow rock crab

The yellow rock crab has a rounded, somewhat flattened carapace (shell). They have two short antennae, black-tipped claws and...

Corals, Invertebrates

Yellow sea whip

Yellow sea whips range in color from yellow and green to orange and purple. This coral grows stiff lateral branches from a single...

Corals, Invertebrates

Yellow star coral

Yellow star corals are pulsing corals, expanding and contracting its feathery polyps every few seconds. This species is usually...

Yellow tang

Yellow tangs are entirely yellow in color. They’re oval-shaped and flat with long dorsal and pectoral fins. These tangs also...

Yellow-saddle goatfish

Yellow-saddle goatfish have yellow bodies with faint grayish tones and bright blue highlights along their scales. Their fins and...

Yellowbanded possum wrasse

Yellowbanded possum wrasse’s secretive nature helps them avoid predators, making them one of the more elusive reef fish. Unlike...

Yellowbanded sweetlips

Yellowbanded sweetlips have a striking appearance with black wavy lines on the top of their bodies and a dotted pattern along...

Yellowhead Jawfish

Yellowhead jawfish

Yellowed jawfish are saltwater fish that are commonly found along coastal reef communities. Their bodies are a light blue color...

Yellowtail Snapper

Yellowtail snapper

The yellowtail snapper has a silvery-blue body with a single horizontal yellow line running from their head to their yellow tail....

Zebra perch

Zebra perches have silvery grey bodies with brown bars running vertically from their head to the base of their tail. They also...

Sharks & Rays, Fishes

Zebra shark

Zebra sharks get their name from the coloration they exhibit as juveniles. Juvenile zebra sharks have brown and white stripes,...

Zebratail blenny

Zebratail blennies get their name from the black and white striping on their tails.The rest of their body is red with white irregular...