These fish migrate offshore to spawn in large groups before returning to more shallow, coastal environments. Striped mullet sift through the top layer of sand for debris, algae and small crustaceans.

The Atlantic blue tang grows to be 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) in length. Atlantic blue tangs stick around coral reef habitats, rocky and grassy coastal areas in the eastern and western Atlantic ...

Burrowing sea cucumbers burrow themselves in a new spot everyday, looking for food. These sea cucumbers feed on the top layers of sand underneath coral reef communities. They filter nutrients from the ...

Peppermint shrimp are tiny, only reaching a size of 1.25 - 2.25 inches (3.175 - 5.715 centimeters). Peppermint shrimp are bright red and white, which helps them camouflage on coral reefs. But don’t be ...

Long-spined sea urchins living in colder waters tend to have a longer lifespan. In the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, long-spined sea urchins can be found in shallow, calm waters near or on coral ...

Just like human fingerprints, each spotted eagle ray's spot pattern is unique! Mote scientists use these spot patterns to identify individual rays. Spotted eagle rays feed largely on bivalves and ...

Queen angelfish will sometimes interbreed with blue angelfish, creating a rare hybrid species. This bright yellow reef fish has blue highlights near their face, belly and fins. Their dorsal and pelvic ...

Reef butterflyfish have compressed bodies and small mouths that help them eat prey in narrow crevices and maneuver and hide on the reef. Reef butterflyfish have a rectangular shape, a white belly, ...

The lightning whelk's movement is slowed when in saltwater. The lightning whelk can be found along the North American coastline from New Jersey to Texas in creeks, oyster bars and estuaries. These ...

Each corallite on star coral is 0.25-0.40 inches (2.5 - 4 millimeters) in diameter. Using its tentacles, star coral will catch and eat smaller marine organisms that drift by. Coral also have a special ...

Mountainous star corals are relatively large, as hinted in its name. Their colonies range from 1 to 10 feet (0.3-3 meters) in height. Zooxanthellae- the algae residing inside the coral's tissues - ...

These fish are shy and will retreat into hiding if approached by other living things. Long-spine porcupinefish have dark brown spotting all over their bodies and a dark bar running from eye to eye.