Best Benthic

The Tripodfish (Bathypterois longipes), described by Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1888, is a deep-sea fish named for its greatly elongated pelvic and lower caudal fin rays, which it uses to stand upright on the abyssal seafloor. It belongs to the family Ipnopidae and inhabits...

Ipnops is a genus of deep-sea fishes belonging to the family Ipnopidae, found in abyssal ocean depths. They are distinguished by their unusual head morphology, where the structures that would typically function as eyes are modified into flat, bioluminescent organs covering the top of their heads. Th...

Bathysaurus is a genus of deep-water lizardfishes that thrive on the ocean floor at abyssal depths. They are distinguished by their heavily scaled bodies and large, reptilian-like heads equipped with sharp, uneven teeth. As benthic ambush predators, they lie in wait in the sediment to consume smalle...

The zebra shark is a species of carpet shark found throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific region and classified as the sole living member of the family Stegostomatidae. Juvenile zebra sharks are born with yellow and black vertical stripes, which gradually fade into the spotted pattern seen in adults....

The spotted garden eel (Heteroconger hassi), described in 1959, is a marine fish found across the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea to the western Pacific. Adults reach roughly 40 cm in length and live in large colonies on sandy seafloor areas at depths typically between 7 and 45 meters. Each individual...

The deepsea lizardfish (Bathysaurus ferox) is a benthic predator found in bathyal and abyssal zones worldwide. Characterized by its elongated, lizard-like body and large mouth filled with sharp teeth, it rests on the ocean floor waiting to ambush prey. It is notable within the vertebrate kingdom for...

The southern stingray (Hypanus americanus) is a large stingray native to the western Atlantic and Caribbean, widely known from Grand Cayman's Stingray City where wild rays have been provisioned by humans since the 1980s.

The deepsea tripodfish is a unique benthic fish inhabiting the abyssal and hadal zones of oceans. It utilizes specialized, elongated fins – resembling stilts – to maintain an upright position on the seafloor. These tripodfish, belonging to the Ipnopidae family, are notable for their passive feeding...

The nurse shark is a bottom-dwelling Ginglymostoma shark, notable for tolerating research handling and ranging from Rhode Island to Brazil.

Cassiopea xamachana is a species of upside-down jellyfish found in shallow tropical waters of the western Atlantic, including the Caribbean. It commonly rests bell-down on sandy or muddy bottoms in mangroves and lagoons, positioning its branching oral arms toward sunlight. Photosynthetic dinoflagell...

The Robust Assfish (Acanthonus armatus) is a bathypelagic cusk-eel distinguished by having the smallest brain-to-body weight ratio of any known vertebrate.

The striped pyjama squid (Sepioloidea lineolata) is a small species of bobtail squid native to the shallow coastal waters of southern Australia. Despite the name, it is taxonomically a sepiolid, closely related to cuttlefish, and usually measures only a few centimeters in mantle length. The cephalop...

The shortraker rockfish is a massive deep-sea scorpaenid found in the North Pacific, notable for its extreme longevity and holding the record as one of the longest-lived fishes.

The Bathysaurus ferox, or deep-sea lizardfish, is a benthic predator inhabiting depths of 600 to 3,500 meters. This fish is notable for being one of the largest predatory fishes living at such extreme ocean depths and for possessing both male and female reproductive organs simultaneously. It’s prima...

The angelshark is Squatina squatina, a flattened eastern Atlantic shark notable for once being common in Europe but now Critically Endangered.

The Spiny Lumpsucker is a small marine fish notable for the prominent, spiky tubercles covering its body and its modified pelvic suction disc.

The Atlantic torpedo ray (Torpedo nobiliana) is a species of electric ray found in the Atlantic Ocean, capable of producing powerful electric shocks. It possesses specialized organs on either side of its head that can generate discharges of up to 220 volts, which are used to stun prey and deter pred...

The bat ray (Myliobatis californica) is a Pacific eagle ray endemic to the eastern Pacific coast from Oregon to the Gulf of California, known for excavating mollusks and crustaceans from sandy substrates.

The Wolftrap Anglerfish is a deep-sea fish belonging to the Thaumatichthyidae family. It’s notable for its bioluminescent lure, which grows on the roof of its massive mouth—a distinctive adaptation not seen in other anglerfish species. This benthic predator inhabits the bathypelagic zone and is prim...

The Port Jackson shark is a southern Australian bullhead shark named in 1793, recognized by its dark harness-like body markings.

The pancake batfish is a small, bottom-dwelling fish found in the Gulf of Mexico, notable for its flattened, disk-like body and its ability to walk on the seabed.

The Fangtooth Moray is a distinctive marine eel species recognized by its elongated jaws and prominent, razor-sharp, glass-like teeth.

The shovelnose guitarfish is a cartilaginous fish found along the Pacific coast of North America, notable for its elongated body and distinct shovel-like snout.

The Southern Fiddler Ray (Trygonorrhina dumerilii) is a guitarfish endemic to southern Australian waters, recognized as distinct from the closely related eastern fiddler ray.

The horn shark is a small eastern Pacific bullhead shark described in 1855, with fin spines and spiral egg cases.

The Violet Stingray (Dasyatis violacea) is a species of marine stingray recognized by the distinct violet or purplish coloration on its dorsal surface. It primarily inhabits the coastal waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, preferring sandy or muddy benthic environments. Li...

The Pacific electric ray (Torpedo californica) is a cartilaginous fish found along the eastern Pacific coast from British Columbia to Baja California. It possesses paired electric organs on either side of its head capable of generating strong shocks used to stun prey and deter predators. The ray can...

The numbfish, also known as the coffin ray, is a species of electric ray endemic to the coastal waters of Australia. It is the sole member of the family Hypnidae and exhibits a benthic lifestyle, resting on the seafloor. Like other electric rays, it possesses specialized organs capable of generating...

The coffin ray is a species of electric ray in the family Hypnidae, endemic to the coastal waters of southern Australia. As a benthic ambush predator, it buries itself in sand or mud during the day and becomes active at night. It is notable for its ability to generate a powerful electric shock despi...