Marine Life

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Flabellate sea star
Flabellate sea star

Pteraster flabellifer

Slime Stars

Divers often spot this sea star by its broad, fan-like arms and a textured, spin...

Flower sea star
Flower sea star

Pteraster florifer

Slime Stars

This species is named for its “flower-like” appearance—its arms can look fringed...

Fornicate sea star
Fornicate sea star

Pteraster fornicatus

Slime Stars

Pteraster fornicatus is a slow-moving sea star that divers may encounter tucked...

Gibber sea star
Gibber sea star

Pteraster gibber

Slime Stars

Divers may recognize this sea star by its bumpy, uneven arm surface, which gives...

Hastate sea star
Hastate sea star

Pteraster hastatus

Slime Stars

With arms that can look spear- or arrow-like in outline, Pteraster hastatus can...

Prickly Cushion Star
Prickly Cushion Star

Pteraster marsippus

Slime Stars

Often seen as a low, cushion-like starfish, this species clings firmly to rocky...

Obscure Cushion Star
Obscure Cushion Star

Pteraster obscurus

Slime Stars

Often seen clinging to rocky bottoms, this cushion star looks like a low, rounde...

Reticulated starfish
Reticulated starfish

Pteraster reticulatus

Slime Stars

Divers often notice this starfish by its distinctive, net-like pattern across th...

Robertson’s starfish
Robertson’s starfish

Pteraster robertsoni

Slime Stars

Pteraster robertsoni is a small-to-medium starfish that blends well with the sea...

Rugose starfish
Rugose starfish

Pteraster rugatus

Slime Stars

This species stands out for its rough, ridged texture—its arms and central body...

Rugose starfish
Rugose starfish

Pteraster rugosus

Slime Stars

Pteraster rugosus is known for its bumpy, wrinkled surface that helps it blend i...

Sjadesensis starfish
Sjadesensis starfish

Pteraster sjadesensis

Slime Stars

Divers searching rocky or reef-associated habitats may find this starfish clingi...

Sea Pork
Sea Pork

Aplidium californicum

Sea Pork

Divers often notice this colonial tunicate as thick, lumpy, pale-to-tan “pork-li...

Salp
Salp

Thalia democratica

Alligator-flag

Divers may spot this salp as a small, translucent “blob” drifting in the water c...

Golden stingray
Golden stingray

Dasyatis chrysonota

Stingray

Divers may spot this ray gliding smoothly along sandy or muddy bottoms, often wi...

Giant freshwater stingray
Giant freshwater stingray

Dasyatis gigantea

Stingray

In freshwater rivers and large lakes, divers can encounter this impressive ray c...

Sharpnose stingray
Sharpnose stingray

Dasyatis hastata

Stingray

This stingray often appears as a low, streamlined shape moving over the bottom,...

Blotched stingray
Blotched stingray

Dasyatis hypostigma

Stingray

The blotched stingray can be seen hovering or patrolling near sandy and rocky ar...

Marbled stingray
Marbled stingray

Dasyatis marmorata

Stingray

Divers may encounter the marbled stingray resting on the bottom or gliding just...

Longfin Mako
Longfin Mako

Isurus paucus

Mackerel Sharks

The Longfin Mako is a sleek, fast shark that can appear as a streamlined silhoue...

(common) Atlantic Mackerel Shark
(common) Atlantic Mackerel Shark

Lamna nasus

Mackerel Sharks

This shark is a strong swimmer built for life in cooler, productive waters. Unde...

Burmese Bamboo Shark
Burmese Bamboo Shark

Chiloscyllium burmense

Bamboo Sharks

Burmese bamboo sharks are small, bottom-dwelling sharks that often cruise slowly...

Blue-spotted Bamboo Shark
Blue-spotted Bamboo Shark

Chiloscyllium caeruleopunctatum

Bamboo Sharks

Blue-spotted bamboo sharks are slender, bottom-oriented sharks with distinctive...

Freckled Carpet Shark
Freckled Carpet Shark

Hemiscyllium freycineti

Epaulette Sharks

Freckled carpet sharks look like miniature reef carpets—low to the bottom and be...