Image: Steve Woods Photography / Cultura / Getty Images
About This Quiz
Would you rather be a fish? Dive in and treat yourself to a fun and fishy five-minute challenge!
Marine habitats hold roughly 58% of all existing species of fish. Among them are some of the most unique-looking fish you will ever see. From hundreds of sharp teeth to extra long snouts, glowing sides to transparent heads, the marine waters are teeming with living proof of the diversity of life on the planet.
Some of these fish can be found in shallow coastal waters and others way down deep in the open seas — so deep that not even light from the sun can get to them and so deep that quite often humans actually know very little about them. There are quite a few which are familiar, such as the ones commonly used for food or hunted for sport. A number of them are also kept as pets in marine aquaria. Are any of their names swimming around in your head? Get started and see if they made it into the quiz!
If getting to know marine life is a hobby of yours, then five minutes is plenty of time to name all of the fish we picked out for you. Jump right in — the quiz is fine!
Painted comber
Jawfish
Asian sheepshead wrasse
Seahorse
Seahorses are relatively small and have prehensile tails which they use to cling to coral and plants so that they are not carried away by sea currents. Interestingly, it is the male seahorse who carries the fertilized eggs (in a pouch at the end of his tail) until they hatch.
Advertisement
American harvestfish
Great white shark
At 20 feet long and 4,000 pounds, the Great white shark sits relatively unchallenged at the top of its food chain. It is a ferocious feeder with up to seven rows of teeth containing over 300 teeth in all. Only the killer whale (Orca) and larger sharks pose any kind of threat to the Great white shark.
Boxfish
Atlantic blue marlin
Advertisement
Damselfish
Shorthorn sculpin
Flounder
A flounder hatchling has one eye on either side of its head just as most fish do. After a few days, it begins to undergo eye migration where one eye slowly moves until both eyes are on the same side of its head. Some species have both eyes exclusively on the left and others on the right.
Stonefish
Advertisement
Shortbill spearfish
Sunburst anthias
Pufferfish
Most species of pufferfish are considered to be highly poisonous. In fact, they are often ranked among the world's most dangerous fish, and its most dangerous animals. Pufferfish have tough skin and many also have prickles which are hidden until the fish puffs up.
Indo-Pacific sailfish
Advertisement
Foureye butterflyfish
Dash-and-dot goatfish
Barberfish
Common clown fish
In their mutualistic relationship, the sea anemone's stinging tentacles ward off the clown fish's predators. The clown fish in return rids the anemone of parasites and deters other fish from eating its tentacles. Most persons recognize the clown fish as the star of the 2003 Disney hit "Finding Nemo."
Advertisement
Lumpfish
Surgeonfish
The surgeonfish is named for the scalpel-like spines on either side of its tail. Dory, the fish with short-term memory loss in "Finding Nemo" (2003), is a female surgeonfish. Luckily, real surgeonfish do not have Dory's memory problem!
Queen angelfish
Barred sand bass
Advertisement
Whitemargin stargazer
Black Marlin
Northern red snapper
Moray eel
Apart from its visible jaws, the moray eel has another set of jaws, complete with tiny teeth-like projections, hidden inside its body. It can bring this set forward to help it kill prey held by the outer jaws. The inner jaws also help to pull the food into the eel's body for digestion.
Advertisement
Manta ray
There are two types of manta ray: the familiar giant oceanic manta ray and the lesser-known reef manta ray. Like other rays, the manta ray has a flat body and fins which have evolved to look like wings, giving the impression that the manta ray is flying through the water.
Tassled scorpionfish
Sloane's viperfish
Toadstool groper
Advertisement
Japanese butterfish
Foxface rabbitfish
Atlantic bluefin tuna
Atlantic bluefin tuna are among the largest and fastest fish in the world. They are specially shaped for speed, with streamlined torpedo-shaped bodies which seem to slice right through the water. Together, Atlantic bluefin tuna and Pacific bluefin tuna are referred to as Northern bluefin tuna.
Dusky farmerfish
Advertisement
Striped goatfish
Largetooth sawfish
Lionfish
The aggressive lionfish also goes by the names zebrafish, firefish and turkeyfish. Although it is extremely poisonous, the lionfish is quite edible when properly prepared and reportedly has a delicate flavor! It is native to the Indo-Pacific but is an invasive species in areas such as the Caribbean.
Atlantic blue marlin
Advertisement
Humpback anglerfish
The scary-looking humpback anglerfish might not seem to gruesome to prey since it lives in complete darkness in the depths of the ocean. In these deep regions where sunlight simply cannot penetrate, the humpback anglerfish's lure glows in the darkness as a way to attract prey and potential mates!
Needlefish
Barreleye
Smalltooth sawfish
Advertisement
Butterfly perch
Royal gramma
This brilliantly colored two-tone fish measures just about three inches and is a popular addition to marine aquaria. Due to its peaceful nature, it is best to keep royal gramma with similarly docile fish. In the wild, it occurs naturally in reefs of the tropical western regions of the Atlantic Ocean.
Copperband butterflyfish
Cardinalfish
Advertisement
Yellowfin tuna
Spotted trunkfish
Seven-figure pygmy goby
The seven-figure pygmy goby isn't just short (it grows about an inch long), it is also short-lived. In fact, its lifespan of just 59 days is the shortest of any vertebrate. It does, however, keep itself busy — the female seven-figure pygmy goby is able to go through seven breeding cycles in that time!
Tiger cod
Advertisement
Sixgill sawshark
The sixgill sawshark grows to roughly three feet long. Its typical prey includes fish, squid and shrimp which it slashes with the sharp projects running along both edges of its snout. There is very little interaction between humans and the sixgill sawshark since it lives close to 2,000 feet below the surface.
Prickly seadevil
Butterfly kingfish
Bigeye trevally
Advertisement
Toadfish
Leaping bonito
Bullethead rockskipper
Swordfish
The swordfish stands out among other billfish (such as marlin and spearfish) because it has a much longer and flatter snout. It can grow up to 15 feet long with one-third of that length being its sword! In many regions, swordfish are sought after as both sport and food.
Advertisement
Parrotfish
Barracuda
The barracuda is a large fish which can grow up to six feet long. It is found mostly in warm waters and tends to stay in areas, such as reefs, which have plenty of prey. The barracuda's few predators include large sharks, killer whales and humans, who hunt them both for sport and as a source of food.
Rock goby
Sea lamprey
Advertisement
Sabertooth fish
Longspined bullhead
This thick-bodied coastal fish is well camouflaged as it lies in-waiting on rocks to ambush passing prey. The longspined bullhead is aggressive, and although it will mostly eat small fish, prawns and mollusks, it is not afraid to take on larger prey — even some bigger than it!
Striped bonito
Spotted soapfish
Advertisement
Yellowfin tuna
Flame hawkfish
Sand stargazer
Striated frogfish
Like other frogfish, the striated frogfish is both stocky and lumpy. It is also called the hairy frogfish because of the numerous spinules growing out from its body. As a type of anglerfish, the striated frogfish has an appendage which looks like a fishing rod and bait, which it uses to lure prey.
Advertisement
Variegated lizardfish
Great hammerhead shark
The smallest hammerhead sharks grow to three feet but the great hammerhead shark reaches over 20 feet long! While most hammerheads have litters of up to 12 pups, the great hammerhead's litter can get up to 40. It stamps its dominance on the group by preying on other hammerhead, even its own pups.
Pikeblenny
Island mackerel
Advertisement
Fangtooth fish
The fangtooth fish have the largest teeth of any ocean-dwelling creature — in comparison to body size, that is. Adults only grow to about six inches long! Thanks to evolution, the fangtooth fish has pouches in the roof of its mouth so it can close its mouth without puncturing its brain.
Mandarin dragonet
Giant kelpfish
Carpenter shark
Advertisement
Largetooth sawfish
Asian sheepshead wrasse
The Asian sheepshead wrasse grows to more than three feet long and more than 30 pounds. It isn't the largest of the wrasse; however, the humphead wrasse can get to over eight feet and exceed 400 pounds! Most wrasse are hermaphrodites with the ability to go from female to male at some point in their lives.
Leaping bonito
Common clown fish
Advertisement
Queen angelfish
The brilliant colors of the queen angelfish may seem hard to miss, but they actually work very well as camouflage! The queen angelfish's bright yellow body with its electric blue outline blends right in with the intense colors of the Atlantic Ocean coral reefs.
Japanese butterfish
Great white shark
Striped bonito
Advertisement
Damselfish
Damselfish are noted for being particularly territorial. They are always quick to defend their space from other damselfish to the point where some of them end up with no territory at all. Damselfish are both fast and active and are a popular choice for marine aquaria.
Surgeonfish
Painted comber
Striped goatfish
Advertisement
Butterfly kingfish
Foxface rabbitfish
Its distinctively striped face and timid manner make the foxface rabbitfish one of the most common fish in marine aquaria. Keepers of foxface rabbitfish should be aware that these fish tend to change to a mottled brown when stressed.
Pufferfish
Dusky farmerfish
Advertisement
Barberfish
Needlefish
Foureye butterflyfish
Predators looking to prey on the foureye butterflyfish can't be sure which end is which as the foureye has eye-like markings on its tail end. If the foureye is somehow caught, the predator is in for a nasty surprise as the spines of the foureye are sure to make a very uncomfortable meal indeed!
Moray eel
Advertisement
Flounder
American harvestfish
Suckerfish
Sloane's viperfish
These deep-sea fish grow to be about a foot long and use the luminescent organs on their sides as a way to attract prey. Sloane's viperfish are able to go after relatively large prey since they can unhinge their jaws to allow their mouths to open much wider than normal.
Advertisement
Indo-Pacific sailfish
Copperband butterflyfish
Blue mackerel
Tassled scorpionfish
The tassled scorpionfish lives in the shallow waters and reefs of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its camouflage makes it dangerous to swimmers who might step on it accidentally. Even if a swimmer is spared the potentially deadly venom of its spines, the puncture wounds will still be very painful.
Advertisement
Northern red snapper
Northern red snapper tend to form large schools and often make their home in the vicinity of reefs and shipwrecks. They can live up to 50 years; most of those caught in the Gulf of Mexico as food or for sport are around four to six years old.
Longspined bullhead
Lionfish
Manta ray
Advertisement
Sunburst anthias
Atlantic bluefin tuna
Stonefish
The stonefish, the world's most venomous fish, is found in coastal Indo-Pacific waters, including Australia's northern coast. It has 13 spikes which it uses to inject venom into the foot of an unsuspecting swimmer or wader who steps on it thinking it is a rock. The pain is excruciating and the venom can cause death.
Suckerfish
Advertisement
Boxfish
The names boxfish and trunkfish refer to this fish's shape. Some varieties have projections which resemble horns and so the name cowfish is also used. Its heavy, bony armor slows down the boxfish but it has a defense mechanism for warding off predators — it secretes toxins from its skin!
Seahorse
Whitemargin stargazer
Island mackerel
Advertisement
Lumpfish
Bigeye trevally
The bigeye trevally is a type of jack fish, inhabiting both rocky and coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific regions. This fast-moving fish is a nocturnal predator which tends to prey on shrimp, sponges and jellyfish. In return, the bigeye trevally has its own predators which include sharks and sea lions.
Striated frogfish
Fangtooth fish
Advertisement
Butterfly perch
Prickly seadevil
Parrotfish
The parrotfish's distinctive beak is a result of the unusual arrangement of its teeth which it uses to grind coral so it can get to the algae inside. Parrotfish are noted for their extremely wide color variations, as well as for their tendency to change sex quite frequently throughout their lifetime.
Shortbill spearfish
Advertisement
Cardinalfish
Cardinalfish are brightly colored, small and peaceful — traits which make them highly sought after in the aquarium trade. In fact, some species of cardinalfish are taken from their natural habitats in such large numbers that conservationists have raised concerns of the effect on their populations.
Royal gramma
Shorthead sculpin
Smalltooth sawfish
Advertisement
Rock goby
Barracuda
Spotted trunkfish
The spotted trunkfish is a reef dweller with the typical boxy shape of a boxfish. Like other boxfish (also called cowfish), the spotted trunkfish releases a toxin from its skin whenever it feels threatened. Keepers of boxfish should be aware that this toxin poisons the water and can kill other fish.
Blue mackerel
Advertisement
Toadstool grouper
Tiger cod
Variegated lizardfish
A long, rounded body and large, flattened head help to give this fish the appearance of an underwater lizard. The imagery is perhaps even stronger when the predatory variegated lizardfish lies in wait, partially covered on the seafloor and propped up on its fins, almost like they were feet.
Sabertooth fish
Advertisement
Swordfish
Spotted soapfish
The spotted soapfish grows to about a foot long and is found mostly in reefs of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Its beautiful markings make it an attractive aquarium fish although it is not among the most popular.
Bullethead rockskipper
Carpenter shark
Advertisement
Sand stargazer
Humpback anglerfish
Dash-and-dot goatfish
Flame hawkfish
Like other hawkfish, the flame hawkfish is native to the warmer regions of the Pacific Ocean. It exhibits the interesting, perchlike habit of resting on a rock or coral and pouncing on prey as they pass by. This hardy little fish is popular among keepers of marine aquaria.
Advertisement
Sea Lamprey
Pikeblenny
Barreleye
The barreleye fish gets its name from its strange tubular eyes which are quite often pointing upwards. Stranger still is the fact that the barreleye's head is see-through, giving it an even spookier appearance. This deep-sea fish lives as far down as 3,000 feet below the surface.
Barred sand bass
Advertisement
Great hammerhead shark
Giant kelpfish
Toadfish
The toadfish doesn't just look like the amphibian for which it is named, it can also croak like one! Toadfish are found in shallow coastal waters of the Americas where they are often preyed on by dolphins. Care should be taken around toadfish as they are known to lash out and bite when touched.
Sixgill sawshark
Advertisement
Seven-figure pygmy goby
Mandarin dragonet
In the wild, the mandarin dragonet can be found in warm regions of the Pacific Ocean. It is a docile bottom-feeder which has become prized among keepers of marine aquaria. The mandarin dragonet can be difficult for some to care for, however, due to its special dietary needs.
Black marlin
Jawfish
Advertisement
You Got:
/40
_(43710214462).jpg){kind=link}
