Fish Species | Different Types of Fish | Animal Corner (original) (raw)

Animal Corner’s fish guide profiles dozens of species across every major group — from the cartilaginous sharks and rays of the open ocean to the bony fish that dominate freshwater, reef, and pelagic habitats. With around 29,000 known species, fish are the most diverse vertebrate group on Earth.

Our most popular fish guides include great white shark, piranha fish, seahorse, pufferfish, and betta fish. If you’re looking for the largest fish in the world, see our whale shark guide; for an ancient living fossil, see our sturgeon page.

Most visitors arrive looking to identify a specific fish, learn about a favourite species, or compare related groups. Start with the featured guides below, or scroll further to browse fish organised by major taxonomic group.

Featured Fish Guides

Our most popular fish guides — from ocean giants to colourful reef and aquarium favourites.

Great White Shark

The ocean’s apex predator, feared by every prey species in cold and temperate seas worldwide.

Tiger Shark

Famed as the ‘garbage can of the sea’, an aggressive opportunist that will eat almost anything it encounters.

Whale Shark

The world’s largest fish, a gentle filter-feeder growing over 12 metres long and living 70+ years.

Piranha Fish

South America’s most infamous freshwater fish, with razor teeth and a reputation amplified by Hollywood.

Moray Eel

Ambush hunters of tropical reefs, with two sets of jaws and gaping mouths that look like menacing snarls.

Seahorse

Among the few species where males give birth, swimming upright with bony armour instead of scales.

Pufferfish

Slow swimmers that inflate into spiny balloons when threatened, carrying a toxin 1,200 times more lethal than cyanide.

Betta Fish

Brilliantly coloured Siamese fighting fish, the world’s most popular aquarium species despite needing solitary tanks.

Marine Angelfish

Tropical reef fish prized for vivid stripes and disc-shaped bodies, often forming lifelong monogamous pairs.

King Salmon

The largest Pacific salmon species, central to North American fisheries and apex of the salmon migration cycle.

Sturgeon

A living fossil from the dinosaur era, prized for caviar and capable of living over 100 years.

Galapagos Eels

The unique mix of moray, conger, and snake eels found around the volcanic Galapagos Islands.

Fish are usually divided into two main living groups based on their skeletons. Below is an overview of each, with links to species guides.

Cartilaginous Fish

Cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes) have skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone. The group includes sharks, rays, skates, and chimaeras — mostly marine predators or filter-feeders, with rough sandpaper-like skin formed by tiny tooth-like denticles.

Our shark guides cover apex predators and reef-dwellers alike: great white shark, tiger shark, bull shark, lemon shark, nurse shark, blacktip shark, blacktip reef shark, and caribbean reef shark. The Galapagos Islands are home to several distinctive species: whale shark, hammerhead shark, silky shark, white-tipped reef shark, and black-tipped shark. For rays, see our Galapagos rays guide.

Bony Fish

Bony fish (Osteichthyes) make up by far the largest group, with over 28,000 species ranging from inch-long aquarium guppies to giant ocean predators. Their hard bone skeletons, gas-filled swim bladders for buoyancy, and protective scales separate them from their cartilaginous cousins. We cover them by habitat below.

Reef and Marine Fish

Tropical reef fish are the most colourful and visually striking group. Our guides include the marine angelfish, butterfly fish, clownfish, Fiji blue devil damsel fish, teira batfish, longhorn cowfish, and big-eyed squirrel fish. For one of the world’s most unique groups, see seahorses.

Freshwater Fish

Freshwater species fill rivers and lakes worldwide. Our guides cover the famous piranha, the popular aquarium betta fish, the brown trout, the rare British allis shad, pollan fish, and vendace fish, plus the see-through x-ray fish. For the famous catfish family, see our catfish guide. Our sturgeon and beluga sturgeon pages cover the ancient living-fossil group.

Open-Water and Predator Fish

Pelagic predators rule the open seas. Our guides cover the king salmon, great barracuda, giant grouper, and the formidable Atlantic wolffish. For one of the world’s most popular sport fish, see our bass fish guide.

Eels and Unusual Fish

Eels are bony fish despite their snake-like appearance. We cover the moray eel, the deep-sea wolf eel, and the volcanic-island Galapagos eels. For the inflatable pufferfish, one of the planet’s most toxic species, see our dedicated guide.

For deeper anatomy and physiology, see our fish anatomy guide. For taxonomic detail on the major fish classes, see fish groups.