Striated Frogfish Antennarius striatus This strange looking fish is a master ant camouflage. Within a few weeks it can completely change its color to match its surroundings. The frogfish’s illicium rod (front most dorsal fin spine) is topped with worm-like lure appendages that can regenerate
Megamouth Sightings Fossil Sharks Fossil Shark Basics
Red Drum Sciaenops ocellatus This large, elongated near-shore fish is a dark copper to pale silver color, with a distinct eye spot at the tail. It is very tolerant of water temperature variations as well as salinity levels so it ranges in a wide variety of habitats from surf zones and seagra
Megamouth Sightings Fossil Sharks Fossil Shark Basics
Coney Cephalopholis fulva This elongated fish has a curved profile and large, round eyes above a pointed snout. It has several striking color phases including bright yellow, red, and bi-colored orange and tan, and usually it has mild to intense amount of speckles on its body. It prefers clea
Megamouth Sightings Fossil Sharks Fossil Shark Basics
Atlantic Sharpnose Shark Rhizoprionodon terraenovae This small, slim shark rarely grows more than 3.5 feet long, and has a distinctly long, pointed snout, and large eyes. It likes to forage in surf zones and estuaries, so it comes into contact with humans frequently. It is not considered dan
Megamouth Sightings Fossil Sharks Fossil Shark Basics
The strength and significance of the FLMNH Invertebrate Paleontology (IP) Collection resides in the extensive amount of material collected within the last 50 years from over 8,500 sites around Florida, the southeastern U.S., and the circum-Caribbean. These collections are unique in that they repres
Florida Contributions to Paleobiology Florida’s Fossil
Palmettos in Pennsylvania? Magnolias in Minnesota? The migration of subtropical plants to northern climates may not be too far-fetched if future global warming patterns mirror a monumental shift that took place in the past, new research by an international team of scientists suggests. The fin
Fossil leaf from the Bighorn Basin, WyomingPhoto by
Eyed Flounder Bothus ocellatus This flat fish spends most of its time laying in the sea bottom on its right side, adjusting its coloring to match its surrounding area. Although they all start out like normal fish, with one eye on either side of their heads, their right eyes migrate to the le
Megamouth Sightings Fossil Sharks Fossil Shark Basics
Yellow Stingray Urobatis jamaicensis These rays have a round pectoral disc and rounded pelvic fins, no dorsal fins on their short tail, and a venomous spine set back near their small caudal (tail) fin. They prefer sandy bottoms and shallow waters in the Gulf of Mexico and surrounding area of
Megamouth Sightings Fossil Sharks Fossil Shark Basics
Black Seabass Centropristis striata Not only do these fish have four color phases before they become a gray-brown to black, they also start as females and then change to males later in their lives. These stout, almond-shaped fish have pointed snouts, large eyes, and rounded fins, and they ar
Megamouth Sightings Fossil Sharks Fossil Shark Basics
Queen Triggerfish Balistes vetula These colorful, oval-shaped fish are popular aquarium attractions. They can dart into crevasses when threatened, and lock their dorsal fin in place to prevent predators from pulling them out. They also can produce an audible warning from special membra
Megamouth Sightings Fossil Sharks Fossil Shark Basics
