Goatsbeard Brotula

Fish > Ophidiiforms

The Goatsbeard Brotula (Brotula multibarbata) is a cryptically magnificent benthopelagic fish belonging to the cusk-eel family Ophidiidae, widely distributed across the tropical coral reef ecosystems of the Indo-Pacific. Featuring an elongated, tapering body and a...

Southern Frilled Shark

Fish > Frilled Sharks

The Southern Frilled Shark (Chlamydoselachus africana) is a primitive, deep-sea chondrichthyan that stalks the abyssal continental slopes off the southern tip of the African continent. Formally described by ichthyologists in 2009 after being distinguished from its...

Dracula Fish

Fish > Cyprinids

The Dracula Fish (Danionella dracula) is one of the most anatomically astonishing and miniature vertebrate oddities discovered in modern ichthyology, officially described in 2009. Endemic to pristine freshwater hill streams in the remote forests of northern Myanmar,...

Pacific Spookfish

Fish > Chimaeras

The Pacific Spookfish (Rhinochimaera pacifica), also known as the knifenose chimaera, is an enigmatic and archaic cartilaginous deep-sea fish belonging to the ancient chimaera order Chimaeriformes. Diverging from ancestral shark lineages hundreds of millions of years...

Russell’s Oarfish

Fish > Lampriformes

Russell’s Oarfish (Regalecus russelii) is a breathtaking, serpentine deep-sea teleost that inhabits the twilight mesopelagic depths of tropical and warm-temperate oceans worldwide. Resembling a monumental, shimmering silver sea serpent adorned with an...

Australian Angelshark

Fish > Sharks & Rays

The Australian Angelshark (Squatina australis) is a master of benthic camouflage endemic to the temperate and subtropical coastal waters of southern Australia. Featuring a dramatically flattened, ray-like body and expansive wing-like pectoral fins, this...

Yellow Pancake Batfish

Fish > Batfishes

The Yellow Pancake Batfish (Malthopsis lutea) is an extraordinary deep-sea batfish belonging to the anglerfish order (Lophiiformes). Inhabiting the perpetual dimness of continental slopes across the Indo-West Pacific, this bizarre bottom-dwelling fish is heavily...

Bargibant’s Pygmy Seahorse

Fish > Pipefishes & Seahorses

Bargibant’s Pygmy Seahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti) is one of the smallest vertebrates in the world and an undisputed master of underwater camouflage. Reaching a maximum length of barely three-quarters of an inch, this miniature marvel lives its entire adult...

Fire Eel

Fish > Spiny Eels

The Fire Eel (Mastacembelus erythrotaenia) is the largest and most flamboyantly patterned member of the spiny eel family (Mastacembelidae), native to the sluggish river systems and tropical floodplains of Southeast Asia. Despite its serpent-like silhouette, this...

Shortbill Spearfish

Fish > Billfishes

The Shortbill Spearfish (Tetrapturus angustirostris) is a sleek, highly migratory pelagic billfish roaming the warm offshore currents of the Pacific and Indian oceans. Distinguished among its istiophorid kin—which include colossal marlins and sailfish—by its unusually...