Can You Identify These New Zealand Fish Species?

By: Talin Vartanian
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Can You Identify These New Zealand Fish Species?
Image: Pixabay / Mariamichelle

About This Quiz

New Zealand is not just home to beautiful mountains and lush scenery, it's also home to a variety of awesome fish species. Today, we're taking a look at 40 images of New Zealand fish, and it will be your job to identify its name.

A wide variety of fish inhabit the waters of New Zealand. Some fish are herbivorous, which means that they only eat plants. Other types of fish are carnivorous, which refers to eating other animals. An example of this would be the perch, which loves to snack on other fish. New Zealand is also home to many types of non-diadromous fish, like the flathead galaxias. "Non-diadromous" refers to fish that live only in fresh or salt waters, but not both. Some fish also feature dull colors, while others are bright orange in hue. Examples of these types of fish would be the goldfish and the swordtail.

Today, we've compiled a list of these types of fish, and all you have to do is match the fish in the photo to the name of the fish in the list. If you're ever unsure of the answer, be sure to utilize the helpful hint for each question. Don't wait, take this New Zealand fish identification quiz now!

Australian longfin eel This type of eel has black spots all over its body. Can you name it?
Australian longfin eel
The Australian longfin eel is unique because of the black spots and patches all over its body. It's also from the Waikato River.
Banded Kokopu
Chatham Mudfish
Bluegill Bully

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Shortfin eel This type of eel is highly adaptable to harsh environments. What's the name of it?
Common smelt
Shortfin eel
The shortfin eel can live in a variety of harsh environments, such as extreme temperatures and places with very little oxygen. These types of eels are very common throughout New Zealand.
Grey mullet
Estuarine triplefin

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Atlantic salmon Which of these fish is common throughout the Atlantic Ocean and is a common fish to eat?
Shortfin eel
Perch
Atlantic salmon
Similar to the aesthetics of the brown trout, Atlantic salmon are also common for sport fishing. Adult Atlantic salmon in New Zealand tend to live in lakes.
Upland bully

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Redfin Bully This fish has black patches on its body and a red tail. Can you name it?
Northland mudfish
Rudd
Yellow-eyed mullet
Redfin bully
The redfin bully is unique for its vibrant black blotches and red tail and fin. These are also considered to be a diadromous type of fish.

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Perch This carnivorous fish loves water that barely moves. What's the name of it?
Perch
The perch is not fond of fast-moving waters, and feeds off other fish to survive. Its scientific name is Perca fluviatilis Linnaeus.
Brook char
Bluegill bully
Canterbury mudfish

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Brook char The Salvelinus fontinalis fish belongs to the Salmonidae family. What else is it known as?
Atlantic salmon
Brook char
The brook char is a type of dark fish with vibrant spots on its back. They are also known for their wide mouth.
Australian longfin eel
Brown trout

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Bluegill bully This carnivorous fish can be found in streams. Can you name it?
Goldfish
Grey mullet
Bluegill bully
The bluegill bully doesn't feature any blue colors but it does have brown spots all over its body. These fish also love to snack on larvae.
Giant bully

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Canterbury mudfish This fish belongs only to the Canterbury region of New Zealand. Can you name it?
Bluegill bully
Grey mullet
Giant bully
Canterbury mudfish
The Canterbury mudfish are unique due to their small eyes and eel-like body. This fish was also discovered in 1926.

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Grey mullet This fish is a member of the Mugilidae family. What's the name of it?
Atlantic salmon
Brook char
Grey mullet
The grey mullet belongs to the Mugilidae family, which actually means "mullet family." This fish is also primarily found throughout the Northern regions of New Zealand.
Giant bully

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Goldfish This fish is all-gold in color and loves still waters. Can you name it?
Goldfish
You'll find many types of goldfish throughout the Northern regions of New Zealand. These fish are also bright gold in color with soft fins.
Grass carp
Longfin eel
Giant bully

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Grass carp This large fish was discovered in 1844. Do you know what it is?
Goldfish
Grass carp
Found primarily in the Northern regions of New Zealand, the grass carp features vibrant silver and bronze hues on its body. These fish are also useful for removing certain weeds from lakes.
Koi carp
Inanga

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Inanga This fish is found throughout the borders of New Zealand. What's its name?
Dart goby
Koi carp
Inanga
The inanga fish is found throughout the borders of New Zealand and can be found in various streams and lakes. Its scientific name is Galaxias maculatus.
Cran's bully

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Cran's bully This fish can only be found in the North Islands of New Zealand. It is a ...
Koaro
Giant bully
Mackinaw
Cran's bully
The Cran's bully belongs to the Eleotridae family, and is considered to be a non-diadromous type of fish. It was also discovered in 1842.

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Mackinaw These types of fish live in Lake Pearson. What is its name?
Mackinaw
The mackinaw fish swims with both brown trout and rainbow trout in Lake Pearson. These fish can be found throughout North America as well.
Koaro
Giant bully
Common carp

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Eldon's galaxias The scientific name for these dark brown fish is "Galaxias eldoni McDowall." What's another name for it?
Crans bully
Eldon's galaxias
Eldon's galaxias is a member of the galaxiid family, and is considered to be a non-diadromous type of fish. These fish also have unique brown stripes on their body.
Goldfish
Giant bully

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Koaro This fish is shaped like a tube. What is the name of it?
Silver carp
Rudd
Rainbow trout
Koaro
Koaro fish are shaped like a tube and exude brown patches on its body. These fish are also found throughout the southwestern borders of New Zealand.

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Koi carp Which of these fish belongs to the Cyprinidae family?
Chinook salmon
Atlantic salmon
Koi carp
Also called the common carp, the Koi carp features vibrant yellow and black hues on its body. This fish is also found in the northern regions of New Zealand.
Hucho

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Dart goby These small fish bear the scientific name "Parioglossus marginalis." What's another name for it?
Silver carp
Tarndale bully
Rudd
Dart goby
The dart goby features very tiny scales and fins, as well as light purple hues. This type of fish was also discovered in 1985.

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Silver carp Which of these fish are large and all-silver in color?
Rudd
Rainbow trout
Goldfish
Silver carp
The silver carp features shimmering hues of silver, and is found in the northern regions of New Zealand. This type of fish is also known to eliminate aquatic plant growth in New Zealand.

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Rudd Which of these fish belongs to the Cyprinidae family?
Rudd
The rudd fish belongs to the Cyprinidae family and is an herbivorous type of fish. Their date of discovery was 1758.
Atlantic salmon
Trout
Chinook salmon

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Rainbow trout The _______ _______ is a member of the Salmonidae family.
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout was discovered in 1792 and features vibrant rainbow colors. These fish are also a member of the Salmonidae family.
Rudd
Carp
Minnow

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Gambusia Mosquitofish is another name for the _______?
Guppy
Gambusia
The gambusia fish is also known as the mosquitofish due to the large quantities of mosquito larvae that they eat. This is also an aggressive type of fish.
Swordtail
Sailfin molly

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Sailfin molly This type of poeciliids fish is known to be one of the largest in New Zealand. Can you name it?
Gambusia
Torrentfish
Sailfin molly
The sailfin molly bears the scientific name, Poecilia latipinna. These types of fish are also known for their dorsal fin, which is very large in size.
Sockeye salmon

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Swordtail This type of fish features vibrant orange hues. Can you name it?
Gambusia
Perch
Swordtail
While these may resemble a goldfish in color, swordtails feature a sword-like tail that extends from its back. These are also a Poeciliidae type of fish.
Roundhead galaxias

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Shortjaw kokopu The jaw of this fish is undercut, while the body is all-brown in color. Can you name it?
Rainbow trout
Atlantic salmon
Shortjaw kokopu
An undercut jaw means that the upper part of a fish's jaw is longer than its bottom half. The shortjaw kokopu is unique because of this.
Goldfish

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Sockeye salmon This dark-colored fish was discovered in 1792. Can you name it?
Sockeye salmon
You'll find plenty of sockeye salmon in the Waitaki catchment of New Zealand. These fish also swim with other types of trout, as well as Chinook salmon.
Rudd
Redfin bully
Tench

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Torrentfish Which of these fish belongs to the Pinguipedidae family?
Rainbow trout
Atlantic salmon
Torrentfish
Torrentfish are unique for their large brown stripes over their body. These fish also love the swift waters of New Zealand.
Chinook salmon

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Upland bully Which of these fish is primarily found on the South Island's east coast?
Upland bully
This fish belongs to the Eleotridae family, and is considered to be non-diadromous. Upland bullies can also be found on the South Island's east coast of New Zealand.
Rudd
Torrentfish
Shortfin eel

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Tench Which of these fish features vibrant green colors?
Goldfish
Swordtail
Rudd
Tench
The tench fish is primarily green in color and was discovered in 1758. The eyes of this fish are also vibrant orange in color.

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Yelloweye mullet Which of these fish belongs to the Mugilidae family?
Yelloweye mullet
The yelloweye mullet is a member of the Mugilidae family and features 2 dorsal fins. Its name, of course, refers to its vibrant yellow eyes.
Shortfin eel
Torrentfish
Guppy

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Orfe Which of these fish are primarily omnivorous?
Pancake stingrays
Bull shark
Electric eel
Orfe
The orfe fish likes to munch on both plants and small animals, like worms. These fish also feature dull red and white colors.

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Brown trout The _____ ______ is common in the South Islands of New Zealand.
Northland mudfish
Brown trout
The brown trout features a light white-orange hue with an overlay of brown freckles on its body. This fish is also incredibly common throughout the South Islands of New Zealand.
Orfe
Rudd

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Grayling Which of these New Zealand fish are now extinct?
Dwarf galaxias
Northland mudfish
Grayling
Once a native fish of New Zealand, the grayling is currently extinct, which happened around the 1930s. This fish was also an herbivore.
Atlantic salmon

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