Fish Identifier

Fish Encyclopedia

Search and identify 1,000+ fish species — freshwater, saltwater, reef, and pelagic — with habitat, size, diet, behavior, and how to tell them apart.

Camouflage Grouper

Camouflage Grouper

A stocky, well-camouflaged Indo-Pacific grouper with a mottled brown-and-tan pattern of hexagonal blotches that helps it blend seamlessly into reef substrate.

reef
Cabezon

Cabezon

The cabezon is the largest sculpin of the North American Pacific coast, a heavily mottled, scaleless ambush predator that blends into rocky reef and kelp habitat.

saltwater
Picasso Triggerfish

Picasso Triggerfish

A boldly patterned triggerfish with geometric blue, yellow, and black markings, common on shallow Indo-Pacific reef flats.

reef
Yellowfin Grouper

Yellowfin Grouper

The yellowfin grouper is a reddish-brown to olive reef grouper of the Caribbean and western Atlantic, easily recognized by the bright yellow patch on its pectoral fins.

reef
Spotfin Lionfish

Spotfin Lionfish

A true lionfish with elongated, spotted pectoral fin rays and reddish-brown bars, found resting in reef crevices by day across the Indo-Pacific.

reef
Leopard Coral Grouper

Leopard Coral Grouper

A striking Indo-Pacific reef predator with a reddish-orange body densely covered in small electric-blue spots, giving it a leopard-like pattern.

reef
Guineafowl Pufferfish

Guineafowl Pufferfish

The Guineafowl Pufferfish is a variably colored reef puffer, most often dark brown to black with small white spots, resembling the plumage of a guineafowl bird.

reef
China Rockfish

China Rockfish

Easily recognized by a bold yellow stripe running down its black body, the China rockfish is a small, secretive reef dweller of the northeastern Pacific.

saltwater
Schoolmaster Snapper

Schoolmaster Snapper

The schoolmaster snapper is a yellow-tinged reef snapper of the western Atlantic, recognized by faint pale bars and a blue line beneath the eye, common around reefs, mangroves, and seagrass.

reef
Blue-spotted Shark

Blue-spotted Shark

A small, slender nocturnal reef shark covered in vivid blue spots and dark saddle bands, popular in home aquariums.

reef
Queen Parrotfish

Queen Parrotfish

A blue-green Caribbean parrotfish with a bold yellow band across the snout, commonly seen grazing algae along reef slopes and flats throughout the region.

reef
French Angelfish

French Angelfish

A large Caribbean reef angelfish with a jet-black body edged in bright yellow on each scale, giving adults a shimmering, chain-mail-like appearance.

reef
Coral Hind

Coral Hind

A vivid orange-red Indo-Pacific grouper scattered with pale iridescent-blue spots, commonly seen resting near coral heads and reef ledges.

reef
Blue Devil Damselfish

Blue Devil Damselfish

A small, intensely electric-blue damselfish common on shallow Indo-Pacific reef flats, with males developing an orange-tinted tail during breeding season.

reef
Bluefin Trevally

Bluefin Trevally

A vividly colored reef jack covered in electric-blue spots, with matching blue fins, patrolling coral reefs across the Indo-Pacific.

reef
Niger Triggerfish

Niger Triggerfish

A deep blue-green triggerfish with reddish teeth and a trailing crescent tail, often seen feeding on plankton above reef slopes.

reef
Bicolor Angelfish

Bicolor Angelfish

A vivid dwarf angelfish split sharply into a bright yellow front half and deep blue rear half, a favorite of reef aquarists.

reef
Tiger Grouper

Tiger Grouper

The tiger grouper is a slender reef grouper of the tropical western Atlantic marked with diagonal dark bars on a pale to reddish-brown body, resembling tiger-like striping.

reef
Redtooth Triggerfish

Redtooth Triggerfish

The Redtooth Triggerfish is a deep blue-green triggerfish often seen schooling in large numbers over reef drop-offs, feeding on plankton in the open water column.

reef
Round Ribbontail Ray

Round Ribbontail Ray

One of the largest reef-associated stingrays, recognized by its dark blotchy pattern and thick tail, commonly seen resting on sand patches near coral reefs across the Indo-Pacific.

reef
Scooter Dragonet

Scooter Dragonet

A small, mottled reef-associated dragonet that rests on sand near coral reefs and moves in short scooting hops rather than continuous swimming.

reef
Zebra Moray

Zebra Moray

The Zebra Moray is a striped Indo-Pacific reef eel with blunt, peg-like teeth specialized for crushing crabs, mollusks, and sea urchins.

reef
Saddleback Clownfish

Saddleback Clownfish

A dark, saddle-marked clownfish that shelters among the tentacles of large sea anemones on sandy reef slopes and lagoons across the Indo-Pacific.

reef
Fingerprint Filefish

Fingerprint Filefish

The Fingerprint Filefish is a small reef filefish with a dark head, orange-brown body marked by fine irregular lines, and a bright orange tail.

reef