Epic navigatorFish · Ray-finned fish
Atlantic salmon
Salmo salar
Atlantic salmon hatch in freshwater, may grow up in the ocean, and return to rivers to spawn. Their bodies transform so they can handle both fresh and salty water.
A growing collection · 2,000 fish
Meet the
whole water world.
A growing collection of fish facts covering every important fish in the world: where it lives, what it eats, how it behaves, and what makes it special.
Featured fish
Whale shark
Rhincodon typus
2,000Major fish in the database
10Kid-friendly fish groups
OpenReusable images with creator credits
Browse by group
Start with a kind of animal.
Familiar names can be confusing. Each profile shows both the common name and where the animal fits on the tree of life.
Gills, fins, backbone
Fish
From tiny reef neighbors to the biggest fish alive.
Armor on the outside
Crustaceans
Crabs, shrimp, lobsters, and their joint-legged relatives.
Soft-bodied specialists
Mollusks
Octopuses, squid, clams, snails, and surprising cousins.
A wonderfully strange world
Other aquatic life
Jellies, corals, sea stars, and animals that break the fish rules.
Featured animals
Four very different lives.
Epic navigator
Living batteryFish · Ray-finned fish
Electric eel
Electrophorus electricus
The electric eel is a long freshwater fish from tropical South America. It is a kind of knifefish, not a true eel, and most of its body is packed with electricity-making organs.
Reef teammateFish · Ray-finned fish
Ocellaris clownfish
Amphiprion ocellaris
This small, bright fish lives among the tentacles of sea anemones. The fish gets a guarded home, while its swimming and leftovers can help its host.
Gentle giantFish · Sharks and rays
Whale shark
Rhincodon typus
The whale shark is the largest fish alive today. Even though it is enormous, it is a filter feeder that gathers mouthfuls of tiny prey.
Look closer: an electric eel is a fish but not an eel. A blue crab is called shellfish but isn’t a fish at all.
Untangle the names