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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