Angelfish is a name used for different beautiful fish, but the popular freshwater angelfish is a tall, graceful cichlid from tropical South America. It has a flat body, long fins, and dark vertical bands that help it blend among plants and roots.

Anglerfish are strange ocean fish famous for using a built-in fishing lure to attract prey. Many well-known anglerfish live in the deep sea, where darkness, pressure, and weird adaptations create a truly alien ocean world.

Arapaimas are giant freshwater fish from the Amazon Basin. They have armored scales, powerful bodies, and a special air-breathing organ that lets them gulp air at the surface in warm, low-oxygen waters.

Archerfish are clever fish famous for shooting jets of water from their mouths to knock insects off branches above the water. They live in warm Indo-Pacific habitats such as mangroves, rivers, and brackish waters.

Barracudas are fast, powerful fish known for long bodies, sharp teeth, and lightning-quick attacks. They live in warm oceans around reefs, seagrass beds, and open water, where they hunt fish and other prey.

Betta fish are colorful freshwater fish from Southeast Asia. They are also called Siamese fighting fish and are famous for bright fins, air-breathing ability, bubble nests, and bold behavior, especially in males.

Blobfish are deep-sea fish with soft jellylike bodies that help them live under strong ocean pressure. They look much more fish-shaped in the deep sea, but when brought to the surface, pressure changes can make them look blobby.

Blue tangs are bright tropical reef fish with beautiful blue coloring and a yellow tail in many well-known species. They belong to the surgeonfish family, which is named for sharp spines near the tail.

Bluefin tuna are powerful ocean fish built for speed, distance, and life in the open sea. They have streamlined bodies, crescent-shaped tails, warm swimming muscles, and a long migration story that stretches across huge ocean spaces.

Boxfish are unusual reef fish with stiff, box-like bodies covered by hard bony plates. They swim slowly using small fins, often looking like tiny floating boxes as they explore reefs, lagoons, and sandy ocean areas.

Bull sharks are strong, stocky sharks famous for living in both salt water and freshwater. They can swim into rivers, use shallow coastal nursery areas for young sharks, and hunt with sharp senses, but wild sharks should always be treated with respect.

Butterflyfish are small, bright reef fish that live in warm tropical oceans. Their flat bodies, bold stripes, tiny mouths, and eye-like spots help them dart around coral reefs while searching for small animals, coral polyps, and other reef foods.

Catfish are fish famous for whisker-like feelers called barbels around the mouth. Many catfish live near the bottom of rivers, lakes, ponds, and muddy waters, where they use taste, touch, and smell to find food.

Clownfish are bright reef fish with orange, white, yellow, or black patterns. They are famous for living safely among sea anemone tentacles in warm shallow reefs of the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Cod are cold-water ocean fish known for speckled bodies, pale side lines, three dorsal fins, and a small chin barbel. The name cod often refers to Atlantic cod, but there are several cod species in the cod family.

Coelacanths are rare deep-water fish with fleshy lobe-like fins and an ancient family history. Scientists knew them from fossils and were amazed when a living coelacanth was found off South Africa in 1938.

Cowfish are boxfish relatives named for horn-like spines on the head of some species, especially the longhorn cowfish. These odd reef fish have stiff armored bodies, small mouths, slow hovering movement, and cheerful yellow or spotted patterns.

Crown-of-thorns starfish are large spiky sea stars found on coral reefs. They eat coral polyps and have venomous thorn-like spines, so they should be watched from a safe distance and never touched.

Discus fish are beautiful freshwater cichlids from Amazon River tributaries in South America. They are famous for round disk-shaped bodies, bright colors, gentle swimming, and unusual parental care where adults feed young with nourishing skin mucus.

Electric eels are long freshwater fish from South America that can make strong electric shocks. They are not true eels, but special knifefish that use electricity to sense, hunt, and protect themselves.

Flounders are flatfish that live on or near the seafloor. They hatch looking like ordinary fish with one eye on each side, but as they grow, one eye moves to the other side and the fish begins resting flat on the bottom.

Flying fish are ocean fish with large wing-like fins that let them glide above the water. They do not flap like birds, but they can launch from the sea and sail through the air to escape predators.

Freshwater eels are long, slippery fish that spend much of their lives in rivers, streams, lakes, or wetlands. True freshwater eels in the Anguilla group are famous for amazing life cycles that connect fresh water and the sea.

Gars are long, ancient-looking freshwater fish with narrow bodies, toothy jaws, and hard shiny scales. They often live in slow rivers, lakes, bayous, and backwaters, where they can float near the surface like quiet underwater logs.

The goblin fish, often written as goblinfish, is an odd-looking scorpionfish relative found in southern Australian marine waters. It has a lumpy body, strong camouflage, and venomous fin spines, so it should be admired from a safe distance.

Goblin sharks are strange-looking deep-sea sharks with long flat snouts, soft bodies, sharp teeth, and jaws that can shoot forward to grab prey. They live far below the ocean surface and are rarely seen by people.

Gobies are usually small fish found around shores, reefs, rivers, and sandy bottoms around the world. Many live near the bottom, and some have fused pelvic fins that work like a small suction cup.

Goldfish are freshwater fish in the carp family. They were domesticated in East Asia long ago and are now famous as aquarium and pond fish with orange, yellow, white, black, red, and patterned varieties.

Great white sharks are large predatory fish with powerful bodies, sharp teeth, strong tails, and amazing senses. They are important ocean hunters, but they are also often misunderstood because of scary movies and myths.

Guppies are small colorful freshwater fish from northeastern South America and nearby islands. They are popular aquarium fish because they are active, bright, and live-bearing, which means females give birth to tiny swimming fry instead of laying eggs in the usual way.

Halibut are large flatfish that live on or near the ocean floor in cold northern waters. Adult halibut have both eyes on one side of the head, which helps them lie flat and watch for prey above the sandy or muddy bottom.

Hammerhead sharks are famous for their wide hammer-shaped heads. These unusual heads place their eyes and nostrils far apart, helping hammerheads sense the ocean around them as they swim.

Jellyfish are soft sea animals with jellylike bodies, no bones, and trailing tentacles. They drift through oceans around the world and use stinging cells to catch tiny prey.

Koi are colorful ornamental carp kept in freshwater ponds around the world. They are famous for beautiful patterns, calm swimming, large pond homes, and meanings linked with luck, friendship, peace, and perseverance in art and stories.

Leafy sea dragons are amazing ocean fish that look like drifting seaweed. They have leafy body parts, long snouts, tiny fins, and beautiful camouflage that helps them hide among seagrass and kelp along southern Australia.

Lionfish are beautiful but venomous reef fish with bold stripes, long fin spines, and wide fan-like pectoral fins. They are native to Indo-Pacific waters, but some species have become invasive in the western Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico.

Mahi-mahi are bright open-ocean fish also called dolphinfish or dorado, but they are fish, not dolphins. They are famous for electric blue-green backs, golden sides, fast growth, and strong swimming near the ocean surface.

Mandarin fish, also called mandarinfish, are tiny jewel-colored reef fish from the Pacific. They are dragonets, not true gobies, and they move slowly among coral rubble while looking for tiny animals to eat.

Manta rays are graceful ocean fish related to sharks and rays. They glide through warm waters using giant wing-like fins and filter tiny plankton and small animals from the water.

Marlins are large open-ocean billfish with long spear-like bills, strong bodies, and powerful swimming skills. Different marlin species include blue, black, striped, and white marlins, and many are famous ocean predators.

Moon jellies are pale translucent jellyfish often seen in coastal waters. They have soft bell-shaped bodies, short tentacles, four petal-like shapes inside, and a gentle pulsing swim that looks like a floating moon.

Moray eels are long, snake-like fish that live in warm ocean reefs and rocky hiding places. They have sharp teeth, strong jaws, smooth mucus-covered skin, and a secret second set of jaws in the throat that helps pull food down.

Mudskippers are unusual fish that can spend time out of water on muddy shores. They use strong fins to move across mudflats, climb roots, guard burrows, and breathe through moist skin and mouth lining.

Mussels are bivalve mollusks with two shells and soft bodies inside. Some live in the ocean attached to rocks by strong threads, while freshwater mussels often live partly buried in river or lake bottoms.

Neon tetras are tiny freshwater fish from South America. They are famous for their glowing blue-green side stripe and red coloring near the back of the body, which makes a school of neon tetras look like little lights in the water.

Nurse sharks are slow-moving sharks that often rest on the ocean bottom during the day and hunt at night. They have rounded heads, small mouths, barbels near the nose, and strong suction feeding skills.

Ocean sunfish, also called mola mola, are huge flat ocean fish that look a little like a giant swimming head. They are among the largest bony fish and can be seen basking near the surface in warm and temperate seas.

Oscar fish are bold freshwater cichlids from South America. They are popular aquarium fish known for strong bodies, expressive behavior, orange markings, and a dark eye-like spot near the tail that can help confuse predators.

Ospreys are large fish-hunting raptors often seen near rivers, lakes, coasts, and reservoirs. They dive feet-first into water, grip slippery fish with special feet, and carry prey neatly through the air.

Oysters are ocean mollusks with two shells called valves. Many oysters live attached to hard surfaces, filter tiny food from seawater, and can build rough reefs that shelter small ocean animals.

Oystercatchers are bold shorebirds with long bright bills, sturdy legs, and loud calls. They live along coasts, mudflats, and rocky shores, where they feed on oysters, mussels, clams, worms, and other shoreline animals.

Paddlefish are unusual freshwater fish with long paddle-shaped snouts, wide mouths, smooth skin, and skeletons made mostly of cartilage. The American paddlefish swims through rivers and reservoirs while filtering tiny plankton from the water.

Parrotfish are colorful reef fish named for their parrot-like beaks. They use strong fused teeth to scrape algae and tiny foods from reef surfaces, helping keep coral reefs cleaner and full of life.

Piranhas are freshwater fish from South American rivers and lakes. They are famous for sharp triangular teeth and strong jaws, but their movie reputation is much scarier than real piranha behavior.

Porcupinefish are broad-bodied ocean fish covered with spines. When threatened, many can puff up by taking in water, making the spines stand out and turning the fish into a round, prickly ball that is hard to swallow.

Pufferfish are unusual fish famous for puffing their bodies into round balloon shapes when threatened. Many have tough skin, small fins, strong beak-like teeth, and powerful toxins that help protect them from predators.

Reef shark is a common name for several shark species that live around coral reefs, including blacktip reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, grey reef sharks, and Caribbean reef sharks. These sharks help reef food webs stay balanced and need healthy reefs to survive.

Sailfish are fast open-ocean fish named for the huge sail-like dorsal fin on their backs. They have long bills, sleek bodies, blue stripes, and quick hunting skills that help them chase small fish and squid near the ocean surface.

Salmon are strong fish famous for amazing life journeys. Many hatch in freshwater, grow through young stages, travel to the ocean, and later return toward rivers or streams to spawn, turning one fish life into a watery adventure map.

Scallops are bivalve mollusks that make fan-shaped shells. Unlike many other bivalves, some scallops can swim by clapping their shells together and pushing water out in quick jets.

Seahorses are small ocean fish with horse-shaped heads, curled tails, bony body rings, and tiny mouths. They live in shallow coastal waters such as seagrass beds, coral reefs, mangroves, and estuaries.

Stingrays are flat ocean fish related to sharks. They glide over sandy seafloors with wing-like fins, breathe through gills, and many have a sharp tail barb used for defense when they feel threatened.

Stonefish are thick, bumpy fish that rest on the seafloor and blend in with rocks, coral rubble, or sand. They are famous for powerful venomous spines, so people should never touch or step on them and should use caution in stonefish areas.

Sturgeons are large ancient-looking fish with long bodies, bony armor plates called scutes, and four sensitive barbels under the snout. Many live in rivers, lakes, estuaries, or coastal waters, and some swim upstream to spawn.

Swordfish are large ocean fish named for the long, flat sword-like bill that sticks out from the front of the head. They are powerful swimmers found in warm and temperate oceans, where they hunt fish and squid.

Tiger sharks are large ocean sharks named for the dark stripes seen most clearly on young sharks. They are powerful predators and scavengers with sharp serrated teeth, strong senses, and a very wide menu, but people should always admire wild sharks from a safe distance.

Triggerfish are strong reef fish with deep bodies, small mouths, tough scales, and clever locking spines. They live around reefs and rocky areas, where many feed on hard-shelled animals, sea urchins, crustaceans, and other reef foods.

Trout are salmon-family fish often found in cool, clean streams, rivers, and lakes. Many have spotted bodies, need oxygen-rich water, and feed on insects, small fish, crustaceans, and other watery snacks.

Walking catfish are unusual fish that can breathe air and wriggle across wet ground to move between water bodies. They do not truly walk like a land animal, but they use their bodies and fins to squirm over land, especially in damp weather.

Weedy sea dragons are delicate fish from southern Australian waters. They look like drifting seaweed, with long snouts, leafy-looking body parts, bony plates, and gentle slow swimming that helps them hide among kelp and seagrass.

Whale sharks are gentle ocean giants and the largest fish in the world. Even though their name includes “whale,” they are sharks, not whales. They swim with wide mouths to filter tiny food from seawater.

Wrasses are a large group of colorful marine fish often found on coral reefs and rocky reefs. Many wrasses have thick lips, strong front teeth, bright patterns, and busy reef lives full of hunting, cleaning, hiding, and quick swimming.

Zebrafish are small freshwater fish also called zebra danios. They are famous for their dark blue and silvery stripes, active swimming, tiny size, and important role in science because their young develop quickly and are easy to study.