Razorback Sucker (Xyrauchen texanus)

The Razorback Sucker or Xyrauchen texanus is arguably one of the ugliest freshwater fish in the world.  This ancient endangered species has a large and abrupt bump in between its dorsal fin and head.  This strange bump gives it another nickname, the Humpback Sucker.

These fish are found in Colorado and other areas in Western North America.  Razorback Suckers can grow to about 3-1/2' (1m) and can weigh up to 14lbs (6kg).  They are often brownish black with a yellowish color on their underbellies.  These Suckers can live quite a long time, over 40 years is not too uncommon.  Unfortunately, habitat destruction, introduction of new species and the rerouting of waterways has pushed this fish to the brink of extinction.  

The Razorback Sucker spawns in the later winter to early spring on the gravel bottom where the eggs easily attach.  One female will mate with as many as twelve males.  Once born, these freshwater fish feed on insect larvae, plankton and algae.   You can check out the Razorback Sucker in the video below...

One amazing fact about the Razorback Sucker is their "third eye".  Portions of this fish's retina is very receptive to UV rays.  Normally this fish is too deep for these rays to penetrate, but when the Razorback Sucker is in the shallow spawning they use this portion of their retina to flash reflected sunlight and warn other males to stay away.  They do this by rolling their eyes downward revealing this strange "third eye".

If you have any additional information or questions about the Razorback Sucker fish just leave us a comment below.

Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus)

Bull Trout or Salvelinus confluentus are found exclusively in North America in places like British Columbia, Washington State, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and parts of Nevada. These fish used to be known as Dolly Varden, but around 1980 the Dolly Varden was re-classified as Salvelinus malma. Unfortunately, like many other species on our planet, Bull Trouts are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.Bull Trout are a species of Char that can grow to about 41" (103cm) in length and can weigh up to 32lbs (14.5kg). These fish can be distinguished from other Char by their rather large head and mouth. They also lack the spots on their dorsal fins that their close relative the Brook Trout has. Bull Trout also have yellow or orange spots on their backs and don't have a forked tail fin like the Lake Trout. You can check out a more footage of the Bull Trout as well as some fantastic scenery from Western Canada in the video below...

One of the reasons that the Bull Trout is listed as endangered, is that they have a very specific habitat demand. Water temperatures of below 55F (14C) is required as well as clean gravel beds and nice deep pools. Cold lakes and large rivers are they favorite areas to inhabit. Since these fish will often migrate to spawn, man made dams have severely hampered their ability to reproduce. These freshwater fish begin their lives feeding on zooplankton, but as they grow larger their diet turns mostly to small fish and Salmon eggs. If you have any additional information about the Bull Trout leave us a comment below!

West Indian Ocean Coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae)

The West Indian Ocean Coelacanth or Latimeria chalumnae has brilliant blue pigments and flecks of white that covers its body. It was once thought to be extinct along with the rest of the fish in the Coelacanth order. There are only two known species still alive from this sometimes referred to as the Dinofish is sometimes known as the missing link between fish and the tetrapods.As you can tell by their name, the West Indian Ocean Coelacanth are found exclusively in the Indian Ocean. These fish are quite large growing to about 6-1/2' in length and weighing in at over 175lbs! Females of this species tend to be slightly larger than their male counterparts. They can live to about 60 years old and are ovoviparous, much like many sharks. This simply means that they give live birth. These species are listed as critically endangered, only 500 or so left in the entire world. You can check out some amazing footage of a Coelacanth underwater in the videos below...


West Indian Ocean Coelacanth have special hinges in their heads that allow them to swallow large prey. They also have a rosteral organ in the front of their head that helps them detect prey much like the Hammerhead Shark. For this reason, you will often see them doing "headstands" like in the video above. One last weird fact about this saltwater fish is that their bodies continually ooze out a large amount of oil, while their scales let out a mucus of sorts.

Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

The Sockeye Salmon or Oncorhynchus nerka is commonly found in the Pacific Ocean. Like other species of Salmon, they are anadromous which means that they spend most of their lives in saltwater, but return to freshwater to breed. Also known as the Red Salmon and the Blueback Salmon, this species can survive in landlocked areas where it is referred to as Kokanee. These fish can reach lengths of about 33" and can weigh up to about 14lbs. They have a torpedo shaped body with an adipose fin.
Like the Coho Salmon their body's coloration turns to a bright red with a green head when they are spawning. Females of this species can have yellow or green marks on their bodies. Both sexes will have a dark stripe on their sides as well. Males with develop a hump on their back and their jaw becomes hooked just like the Coho Salmon. After their fry are born the will spend as little as one day or as long as four years in freshwater before making their way to the ocean.   Kokanee though actually spend their entire lives in freshwater, but don't get as large as the traditional saltwater fish of the same species. You can check out the Sockeye Salmon traveling upriver in the video below...

Sockeye Salmon will often feed on plankton or small shrimp. They are considered to be one of the tastiest of the Salmon, but unfortunately are consider endangered like so many fish on our planet. Overfishing, destruction of habitat and sea live have been blamed for their declining populations. If you have any additional information about Sockeye Salmon please share with the world...

Porbeagle Shark (Lamna nasus)

The Porbeagle Shark or Lamna nasus is found in the cooler water of the Northern and Southern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. These sharks are normally found in coastal waters, but are hardly ever spotted these days. This is because the Porbeagle Shark is critically endangered and some fear that this species will soon become extinct. You can learn a bit more about why these Porbeagle Sharks are so close to extinction in the video below...

Porbeagle Sharks can be differentiated from other sharks by a white patch that in at the back of their dorsal fin. It also has two keels on its caudal fin. These sharks are quite large growing to 12 feet (3.7m) and can weigh as much as 550lbs (250kg)! They will often feed on Mackerel, Herring and even Lancetfish. We reproducing these shark are ovoviviparous and will normally have about 4 pups which take about as long as a human baby to develop.
Considered to be one of the fastest sharks in the world, the Porbeagle can jump all the way out of the water and is considered to be quite social with other Porbeagles. In fact, this shark will actually play tag with others passing around seaweed or driftwood much like dolphins. Even though these fish are edible make sure you don't eat them until they are taken off the endangered species list. Please do your part to keep our oceans healthy and full of life!

Zebra Shark (Stegostoma fasciatum)

The Zebra Shark or Stegostoma fasciatum is a shark that is found in the Indo-Pacific around coral reefs in coastal areas around Australia, Eastern Africa and Southern Asia. These sharks are named for the vertical stripes that cover their bodies when they are young. As they grow older these stripes fade and they develop dark spots all over their brown bodies. They also grow five ridges that juveniles lack, from the tops of their heads down to their tails. You can see the difference for yourself by comparing the pictures below and above. Also known as the Leopard Shark, they can grow to about 8' (2.5 meters) in maximum length and are normally found at depths of less that 200'. These sharks are almost completely nocturnal, and will often just rest on the sea floor during the day. At night they will become active and will feed on crustaceans, sea snakes and small fish. Because of this sharks docile nature, divers often come in contact with this shark. Lucky for them Zebra Sharks are not considered to be a danger to humans. You can watch the Zebra Shark underwater for yourself in the video below.

When the Zebra Shark reproduces it will produce large eggs that are stuck to underwater structures or substrate by the female's tendrils. The eggs take about 3 or 4 weeks to hatch. The Zebra Shark is considered to be endangered because it is hunted not only for its meat, but also for its liver oil and fins as well. They can live to be about 30 years old if left alone by predators and fisherman.

 If you have any additional information about Zebra Shark please share!

Giant Megamouth Shark (Megachasma pelagios)

The Giant Megamouth Shark or Megachasma pelagios is an extremely rare deep sea shark! This species was only discovered in 1976 in Hawaii, and since then there have only been a handful of sightings! It is the lone member of the family Megachasmidae, and has been reported only in the deep, cold waters of the Indian, Pacfic and Atlantic Oceans. Much like the Whale Shark and the Basking Shark, the Megamouth Shark simply swims around with its mouth open, which is full with over 50 rows of very small, hooked teeth. It collects food by filtering out the water with its gills, what's left after the water is drained out is its dinner. Like a lot of other deep sea creatures, they actually have photophores that give off light and attract the plankton and small shrimp right into their mouths! You can check out the Giant Megamouth Shark underwater in this rare footage...


This next video shows a variety of shark species and then an indepth look at the 6th Megamouth Shark ever captured at the 2 minute mark in the video below.


Giant Megamouth Sharks are brownish black in coloration and can reach impressive lengths of 6 meters (20 feet) and weigh in at 1500kg (3300lbs)! They are not considered to be very fast swimmers, but this doesn't really matter because they don't have very many nature predators due to their large size. Like other sharks, the Giant Megamouth Shark gives live birth.

If you have any more information about the Gian Megamouth Shark please share it with us below.

Goliath Grouper

There are two different kinds of Goliath Groupers the Atlantic Goliath Grouper (Epinephelus itajara) and the Pacific Goliath Grouper (Epinephelus quinquefasciatus). True to their name this type of Grouper can grow over 8' in length and can weigh in and at over 800lbs!. These saltwater fish are gray or brownish yellow with dark spots and found in warm shallow tropical waters around coral reefs normally less than 160 feet deep.When they are young they can be found in brackish areas and mangrove swamps. At these shallow depths these slow growing fish can be quite easy although very exciting to try and spear. Even though some people may consider the Goliath Grouper to be a stupid giant the are actually quite intelligent. They produce a rumbling sound that comes from their swim bladder that helps them communicate with other Goliaths. Groupers are an endangered species due to overfishing and habitat change. To check out the Goliath Grouper in action watch the videos below...

Smalltooth Sawfish

The Smalltooth Sawfish or Pristis pectinata is one strange fish!  It has a long, flat, chainsaw-like snout that is called a rostrum with 24 to 32 pairs of teeth along the edges which it uses for sifting through the bottom for food. This salt water fish's rostrum has special pores that allows it to detect small movements on the ocean floor much like the Great Hammerhead Shark. Once the Smalltooth Sawfish discovers its prey, it will attack by whipping the rostrum back and forth to stunt or kill. They also use their rostrum as a weapon to defend itself against predators like sharks. This type of fish can grow up to 25' and is normally found in saltwater, but can sometimes tolerate fresh water as well.  Smalltooth sawfish can be found in shallow waters in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and Gulf of Mexico. This endangered fish can live for up to 30 years, but is often killed by mistake in fisherman's nets. The Smalltooth Sawfish is ovoviviparous, which means that the female holds the eggs inside her until they are ready to be born. They usually have a litter of 15 or more at a time. To see this amazing creature in action take a look at the video below...

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