Hippocampus erectus These specialized fish are poor swimmers and rely on their coloring and texture to camouflage themselves among coral, seagrass, or mangroves where they ambush much smaller prey by sucking them into their toothless snouts. They choose a mate for a season or a lifetime, have com
excellent camouflage, and their body structure of bony plates, they have little danger
Scomberomorus regalis This solitary torpedo-shaped fish is streamlined and strong, with finlets running between the prominent second dorsal and anal fins, and the crescent caudal (tail) fin. It is a green-blue from above, and mostly silvery white except for brassy spots and streaks on its sides n
Danger to Humans There have been reports of ciguatera poisoning from human consumption
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 dangerous though because most bit
Danger to Humans Shark fishing boat.
Rhizoprionodon porosus This small requiem shark is often confused with the Atlantic sharpnose shark (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) so much so that the two were only recently distinguished as different species. These small sharks are considered harmless to humans. Order: Carcharhiniformes Family
Danger to Humans This shark is considered harmless to humans primarily due to its
The annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count concluded last week with volunteers tallying bird sightings in 28 countries throughout North, Central and South America. Despite inclement weather, the count marked another exceptionally good year for birds in Gainesville, Florida, where volunteers observed
of multiple species from the sky, which work together to confront the suspected danger
Mitsukurina owstoni Not a great deal is known about this rare shark. Living in the deep ocean, the goblin shark catches prey by quickly projecting its jaw forward. This feature and its large extended snout prompted its fearsome name. Order – Lamniformes Family – Mitsukurinidae Genus – Mi
Danger to Humans The goblin shark seldom comes in contact with humans; however,
Taeniura meyeni This large stingray can grow to almost 6 feet wide and over 300 pounds. The pectoral disc is very round, with black, white and gray splotches across its brown to grey to purplish top, and a white underside. The tapering tail is usually slightly shorter than the body length, and ha
Danger to Humans Although not typically aggressive, this ray has been responsible
Pomoxis nigromaculatus Crappies are a popular game fish and prized as a food source, so their original range of the Eastern US has been artificially expanded by stocking lakes, ponds, and rivers across the mainland US. The black crappie looks very similar to the white crappie except that it has m
Danger to Humans The black crappie is omnivorous, and without predators around they
Hydrolagus colliei This smooth, scale-less chimaera can grow to 24 inches long, a good deal of which is the long tail. It’s named for its brown-gray iridescent coloring, spotted with white. It has a short, rabbit-like face, large triangular pectoral fins, and a short dorsal fin that starts with a
Danger to Humans Although not considered dangerous to humans, care should be taken
Torpedo marmorata This solitary coastal ray has electric organs on its pectoral disc that can stun a human or kill a fish. It is pale brown with dark brown mottling, and has two small dorsal fins on its stout tail near its large caudal fin. Usually it can be found on muddy or sandy bottoms of
Danger to Humans A large adult marbled electric ray can deliver a painful and stunning
