Fish
Great White Shark
The ocean's most famous apex predator
Fish
The guide features 55 species in the fish class. Each profile answers the most-searched questions first.
What are fish?
Fish are aquatic vertebrates that breathe through gills and move with fins. They are the oldest and most diverse group of vertebrates, with over 34,000 known species — more than all other vertebrate groups combined. They range from gobies under a centimetre long to the whale shark at up to 18 metres, and live everywhere from deep-sea trenches to mountain streams.
Fish
Ocean Sunfish
The heaviest bony fish
Fish
Rainbow Trout
The colourful fly-fisher's favourite
Fish
Thresher Shark
The whip-tailed hunter
Fish
Betta
Labyrinth fish famous for vivid fins
Fish
Coelacanth
Living-fossil lobe-finned fish
Fish
Channel Catfish
North America's whiskered bottom feeder
Fish
Basking Shark
Second-largest fish; gentle plankton feeder
Fish
Clownfish
The reef fish that lives among stinging tentacles
Fish
Sand Tiger Shark
The toothy aquarium shark
Fish
Nurse Shark
The docile reef bottom-dweller
Fish
Leafy Seadragon
Seaweed-camouflaged relative of seahorses
Fish
Great Barracuda
Torpedo-shaped reef ambush predator
Fish
Largemouth Bass
America's favourite freshwater game fish
Fish
Largetooth Sawfish
Giant ray with a toothed rostral saw
Fish
Atlantic Cod
The fish that built Atlantic nations
Fish
Weedy Seadragon
Australia's colourful weedy seadragon
Fish
Goblin Shark
Deep-sea shark with a protrusible jaw
Fish
Goldfish
The world's most popular pet fish
Fish
Oarfish
World's longest bony fish
Fish
Seahorse
The tiny fish where fathers give birth
Fish
Whale Shark
The largest fish in the world
Fish
Shortfin Mako Shark
The fastest shark in the ocean
Fish
Betta Fish
The colorful fighter of Southeast Asian waters
Fish
Atlantic Salmon
The fish that swims upriver to spawn
Fish
Hammerhead Shark
The shark with a head like a hammer
Fish
Red-bellied Piranha
The sharp-toothed fish of the Amazon
Fish
Koi
The ornamental carp of garden ponds
Fish
Tiger Shark
The wide-ranging scavenger of warm seas
Fish
Blobfish
The deep-sea fish that only looks like a blob out of water
Fish
Australian Lungfish
Queensland river survivor from the age of dinosaurs
Fish
Megamouth Shark
Deep-sea filter ghost discovered in 1976
Fish
Lemon Shark
Yellow coastal shark of mangrove nurseries
Fish
Oceanic Whitetip Shark
Critically Endangered lord of the open ocean
Fish
Porbeagle
Warm-blooded hunter of cold Atlantic seas
Fish
Cookiecutter Shark
Bioluminescent plug-biter of the deep
Fish
Lanternfish
Bioluminescent commuter of the twilight zone
Fish
Viperfish
Fang-faced ambusher of the abyss
Fish
Gulper Eel
Pelican-jawed phantom of the abyss
Fish
Bonnethead
Seagrass-munching hammerhead of warm shallows
Fish
Common Guitarfish
Critically Endangered shovel ray of sandy coasts
Fish
Common Torpedo
Mediterranean voltage trap of the sandy seabed
Fish
Manta Ray
The gentle giant that flies through the sea
Fish
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
The warm-blooded ocean speedster
Fish
Bull Shark
The shark that swims into freshwater
Fish
Swordfish
The ocean hunter armed with a sword
Fish
Stingray
The flat-bodied ray with a venomous tail
Fish
Electric Eel
The fish that generates powerful electric shocks
Fish
Blue Tang
The bright blue reef fish from Finding Nemo
Fish
Guppy
The colorful beginner's aquarium fish
Fish
European Eel
The 100-year reproductive mystery that baffled scientists from Aristotle to the 21st century
Fish
Moray Eel
The reef-dwelling eel with hidden jaws
Fish
Pufferfish
The fish that inflates into a spiky ball
Fish
Anglerfish
The deep-sea hunter with a glowing lure
Fish
X-ray Tetra
The see-through fish of the Amazon
Frequently asked questions
What are fish?
Fish are aquatic vertebrates that breathe through gills and move with fins. They are the oldest and most diverse group of vertebrates, with over 34,000 known species — more than all other vertebrate groups combined. They range from gobies under a centimetre long to the whale shark at up to 18 metres, and live everywhere from deep-sea trenches to mountain streams.
How many fish are in the Global Animal Guide?
The Global Animal Guide currently features 55 fish with full, answer-first profiles covering diet, habitat, size, and conservation status.