Hatfield Marine Science Center Species ID: Tropical Tank

Yellow TangZebrasoma flavescens • Grazing herbivore • Complicated social structure • These were part of a research

project here at HMSC

Turbo Snail Turbo tuberculosis • Turbo is a genus of large sea

snails w i th gills and an operculum, marine gast r opod molluscs in t he f amily Turbinidae, t he turban snails

• Turbo is t he genus f amily

Ocellaris Clownfish Amphiprion ocellaris • Omnivorous • Females larger than males • Will aggressively defend host

anemone

Silvery Moon Monodactylus • Usually found in estuaries, can

tolerate saltwater and freshwater • Omnivorous

Blue Leg Hermit Crab Clibanarius tricolor • Caribbean omnivore • Great janitors for the aquarium, as

they eat detritus and algae • Occasionally kills a snail for its shell

if it can’t find an empty one

Blue Hepatus Tang Paracanthurushepatus • Native to Indo-Pacific waters • Primarily an herbivore • Bony scalpel where the body

meets the caudal fin is used for defense

Blue Sided FairyWrasse Cirrhilabruscyanopleura • Sumatran omnivore • This one had a bony tumor under its

eye that was removed by our veterinarian, Dr. Miller-Morgan • Notorious jumpers!

Banggai Cardinalfish Pterapogon kauderni • From the Banggai Archipelago in

Indonesia • Mouthbrooders: males carry the

eggs inside their mouth until they hatch

Matted Filefish Acreichthys tomentosus • From Indonesia • Will often eat Aiptasia anemones

(saltwater pests) • Will sometimes eat coral polyps

Mandarin Dragonet Synchiropus splendidus • From the Indo-Pacific • Picky eater; only eats live

copepods and mysid shrimp • Watch how it pecks at the tiny

invertebrates living in and on the rocks

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Hatfield Marine Science Center

Squat Lobster Munida quadrispina • Ranges from southern

Alaska to northern Mexico • Eats carrion, detritus, and

small plankton • Lives in deep, low-oxygen

environments

Aggregating Anemone Heteractis crispa • Found in tide pools from Alaska

to Baja California • Eats algae, small crustaceans,

and other animals • Can reproduce by pulling itself

apart to form two

Spot Prawn Pandalus platyceros • Found from Japan to Alaska and

down to Baja • Eats small shrimp and other

crustaceans, sponges, mollusks • Starts life as male, changes into

female after two years

Grunt Sculpin Rhamphocottus richardsonii • Range from Japan to Alaska and

down to California • Eats small crustaceans, fish

larvae, and other zooplankton • When mating, female has to

chase and corner male

Acorn Barnacle Balanus balanoides • Found in intertidal zones • Eats small plankton and other

particles • Cement gland exudes a bonding

substance so strong that dental science is studying its properties

Orange Cup Coral Tubastraea coccinea • Found in rocky reefs from Alaska to

Baja California • Eats zooplankton • While larvae, they crawl on rocks

until they find optimal conditions, then adhere to the rock’s surface

Burrowing SeaCucumber Cucumaria minitata • Found in intertidal zones from

Alaska to northern Mexico • Eats carrion, detritus, plankton • After each tentacle fills with food,

the cucumber curls it into its mouth and cleans it off!

Northern SpearnosePoacher Agonopsis vulsa • Found from Alaska to southern

California • Eats small crustaceans and

worms • Nocturnal bottom feeder

Sailfin Sculpin Nautichthys oculofasciatus • Ranges from Alaska to southern

California, intertidal • Eats crustaceans • Unusually large, forward-facing

dorsal fin aids in camouflage • Nocturnal

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Hatfield Marine Science Center Species ID: Touch Tank

Strawberry AnenomeCorynactis californica • Found from British Colombia to

southern California • Grow in clusters on rocks, pilings,

and ledges • Eats copepods, small crustaceans,

fish larvae, and invertebrates

Gumboot Chiton Cryptochiton stelleri • Found from Japan to Alaska and

down to southern California • An herbivore • Leathery texture and color is due to

the 20 or so species of red algae that live in and on its skin

Bat Star Asterina miniata • Found from Alaska to northern

Mexico • Mainly an herbivore, eats

diatoms and other algae • Like other sea stars, protrudes its

stomach outside its body to feed

Red Abalone Haliotis rufescens • Found from British Columbia to Baja

California but has been hunted to near extinction

• Grazes on algae with its radula, a mouthpart that resembles a rasp

Rough Keyhole Limpet Diadora aspera • Found from Alaska down to

Nicaragua • Grazes on algae using strong teeth

Hermit Crab Coenobita compressus • Lives in oceans, bays, and

intertidal zones • Eats detritus, algae, small

crustaceans, fishes, etc. • Has tiny hairs all over body that

help it sense the world

Ochre Sea Star Pisaster ochraceus • Found from Alaska to northern

Mexico • Eats mussels by prying open their

shell, inserting stomach into shell, and slowly digesting and sucking out the mussel

California Sea Cucumber Parastichopus californicus • Found in shallow waters from Gulf of

Alaska to Baja California • Eats organic debris, tiny animals • When threatened, detaches and

thrashes wildly to get away

Purple Sea Urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus • Lives in lower intertidal and

nearshore subtidal communities • Grazes on kelp and other types

of seaweed

Red Sea Urchin Strongylocentrotus franciscanus • Found from Alaska to Baja

California • Uses tube feet to help move food

to mouth • Can use spines, tube feet, and

teeth to move quickly

Green Anemone Anthopleura xanthogrammica • Found in shallow waters from

Alaska down to Panama • Eats crustaceans, mussels, fish • Uses stinging cells in tentacles as

protection from predators and to capture prey

Aggregating Anemone Heteractis crispa • Found in tide pools from Alaska

to Baja California • Eats algae, small crustaceans,

and other animals • Can reproduce by pulling itself

apart to form two

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China Rockfish Sebastes nebulosus • Found from the Gulf of Alaska to

southern California • Eats mostly crustaceans, brittle

stars, and other invertebrates • Can live longer than 79 years • Mostly nocturnal

Copper Rockfish Sebastes caurinus • Found from Alaska down to Baja

California • Eats crab, squids, octopuses,

fish, sculpins • Sometimes shares a den with a

giant Pacific octopus

Hatfield Marine Science Center Species ID: In tertidal Tank

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Black Rockfish Sebastes melanops • Found from the Bering Sea

down to Baja California • Eats shrimp, small fish, jellyfish,

squid, crab, crab eggs, octopus • Older females can produce

nearly 2 million eggs per year

Wolf Eel Anarrhichthys ocellatus • Found from Alaska down to Baja

California • Eats mostly crabs, urchins, clams,

octopuses, and other invertebrates • Although fierce-looking, these

animals are surprisingly gentle

Gunnel Pholis • Found in shallow, rocky areas of

the intertidal zone • Eats worms, small crustaceans,

shrimp, and other invertebrates • Although it looks like an eel, it isn’t

an eel at all

Quillback Rockfish Sebastes maliger • Ranges from the Gulf of Alaska to

southern California • Eats crustaceans, herring, molluscs • Will defend its territory by chasing

and locking jaws with other rockfishes

Splitnose Rockfish Sebastes diploproa• Found in the northeast Pacific • Eats mostly shrimp, copepods, and

other invertebrates • Often excavate a shallow home in

the mud • Can live longer than 103 years

Shiner Surfperch Cymatogaster aggregata • Found from southeastern Alaska to

northern Baja California • Eats mostly copepods • Can be found in huge schools in

relatively shallow water • Lives to around 6 years old

Honeycomb Rockfish Sebastes umbrosus • Native to Oregon coast, but now

found from centralCalifornia to southern Baja California

• Mostly solitary, likes to hide in rocky crevices

• Lives to 31–35 years

Striped Surfperch Embiotoca lateralis • Found from Alaska to BajaCalifornia • Eats snails, copepods, limpets,crabs, shrimp, and otherinvertebrates • Can live up to 9 years old

Monkeyface Prickleback Cebidichthys violaceus • Found from the central Oregon

coast down to Baja California • Adults are almost entirely

herbivorous • These fish are prized for their great

taste (would you eat one?)

Bay Pipefish Syngnathus leptorhynchus• Can be found in eel grass, where

it is well hidden • The males carry the fertilized

eggs of their offspring, and deliver them as well

• Can grow to 13 inches long

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Spotted Ratfish Hydrolagus colliei• Ranges from Alaska to

northern Mexico • Eats molluscs, crustaceans,

and small fish • Like a shark, its skeleton is

constructed of cartilage

Red Sea Urchin Strongylocentrotus franciscanus • Ranges from Japan to northern

Alaska down to northern Mexico • Eats algae and invertebrates • Can regrow its spine • May reach 100 to 200 years old

Hatfield Marine Science Center Species ID: In tertidal Tank

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Big SkateRaja binoculata • Ranges from Alaska to northern

Mexico • Eats fish and crustaceans • Has two big eyespots on wings to

confuse predators • Can grow to 8 feet wide

Red Octopus Octopus rubescens • Ranges from Alaska to northern

Mexico • Eats shellfish and fish • Has three tiny flaps, or “eyelashes,”

below each eye • Grows to 20 inches across

Purple Sea Urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus • This sea urchin species lives in

lower intertidal and nearshore subtidal communities

• Grows to a diameter of about 4 inches and lives as long as 70 years

Columbia SandAnemone Urticina Columbiana • Ranges from Vancouver Island to

northern Mexico • Lives partly buried in soft bottoms

of sand, mud, or shells • Grows to 3 feet wide

Green Anemone Anthopleura xanthogrammica • Uses stinging cells in tentacles as

protection from predators and to capture prey

• After digesting food, excretes waste through its mouth

• Can grow to 10 inches wide

Plumose Anemone Metridium senile • Ranges from northern Alaska to

northern Mexico • When disturbed, it discharges

stinging cells to paralyze its prey • Reproduces both sexually

and asexually

Strawberry Anemone Corynactis californica • Found from northern British

Columbia to Mexico • Eats brine shrimp and pieces of

dead fish • Reproduces by cloning itself • Grows to 1 inch across

Giant Pacific Octopus Enteroctopus dofleini • Found in the north Pacific Ocean • Eats crabs, clams, abalone,

shrimp, and fish • Can grow to 16 feet across and

100 pounds • Average lifespan 3 to 5 years

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