Sea and ocean animals in English, with pictures
This page teaches common English words for marine animals and underwater life. Try grouping them by size or shell type to memorize them more easily.
/fɪʃ/
A cold-blooded animal that lives in water, with fins and scales.
“A colorful fish swam past the rocks.”
pufferfish
/ˈpʌfərfɪʃ/
An underwater creature that blows up like a round ball when scared.
“The pufferfish puffed up to protect itself.”
shark
/ʃɑːrk/
A large ocean predator with sharp teeth and a dorsal fin.
“We saw a great white shark from the boat.”
dolphin
/ˈdɒlfɪn/
A smart, friendly ocean mammal known for jumping and making clicks.
“A playful dolphin jumped over the waves.”
whale
/weɪl/
A huge sea mammal that breathes through a blowhole on top.
“A blue whale surfaced near our ship.”
octopus
/ˈɒk.tə.pəs/
A soft sea creature with eight long arms covered in suction cups.
“The octopus hid behind a large rock.”
squid
/skwɪd/
A marine creature with a long body, two tentacles, and eight arms.
“The squid shot dark ink into the water.”
crab
/kræb/
A hard-shelled animal with ten legs and two strong front claws.
“A small crab walked sideways on the beach.”
lobster
/ˈlɒbstə(r)/
A large shelled creature with long antennae and powerful heavy claws.
“The fisherman caught a fresh lobster today.”
shrimp
/ʃrɪmp/
A small marine animal with many legs, often cooked for food.
“She ordered grilled shrimp for dinner.”
seahorse
/ˈsiː.hɔːrs/
A tiny sea animal with a head like a horse and a curly tail.
“The tiny seahorse held onto the plant.”
jellyfish
/ˈdʒɛlifɪʃ/
A clear, bell-shaped creature that floats and can sting with tentacles.
“Watch out for that clear jellyfish in the water.”
starfish
/ˈstɑːrfɪʃ/
A five-pointed creature that crawls slowly along the sandy sea floor.
“I found an orange starfish on the sand.”
stingray
/ˈstɪŋreɪ/
A wide, flat creature with wing-like fins and a sharp tail.
“The stingray glided smoothly across the sand.”
eel
/iːl/
A long, slippery creature that looks very much like a snake.
“An electric eel was resting in the cave.”
/siːl/
A cold-water mammal with smooth fur and flippers instead of feet.
“A fat seal rested on the rocky shore.”
walrus
/ˈwɔːlrəs/
A very large Arctic mammal with two long white tusks.
“The heavy walrus dove beneath the ice.”
turtle
/ˈtɜːrtəl/
A slow reptile with flippers and a hard protective back shell.
“A green turtle laid eggs on the beach.”
coral
/ˈkɒrəl/
A colorful, rock-like marine structure made by tiny living organisms.
“Divers love to explore this bright coral reef.”
seaweed
/ˈsiːwiːd/
Green or brown plant-like algae that grows in the ocean.
“Green seaweed washed up on the shore.”
clam
/klæm/
A creature living in sand with a shell of two opening parts.
“We dug for a fresh clam in the mud.”
oyster
/ˈɔɪstər/
A rough-shelled creature that can sometimes form precious pearls inside.
“He opened the oyster and found a pearl.”
mussel
/ˈmʌsəl/
A small dark-shelled shellfish that clings to rocks near the shore.
“We cooked fresh mussels with garlic and white wine.”
urchin
/ˈɜːrtʃɪn/
A small round marine creature with sharp, pointed spines covering its shell.
“Be careful not to step on a sea urchin in the water.”
anemone
/əˈnɛməni/
A soft sea creature with colorful stinging tentacles that looks like a flower.
“A little clownfish swam safely inside the sea anemone.”
barnacle
/ˈbɑːrnəkl/
A tiny crustacean that permanently attaches itself to rocks and boats.
“A rough barnacle stuck to the wooden dock.”
plankton
/ˈplæŋktən/
Microscopic drifting organisms that provide food for larger marine life.
“Whales consume tons of microscopic plankton daily.”
krill
/krɪl/
Tiny, shrimp-like creatures that swim together in massive cold-water swarms.
“Antarctic whales feed mainly on krill.”
manta
/ˈmæntə/
A massive, harmless flat creature with wide fins shaped like wings.
“A giant manta swam right beneath our boat.”
swordfish
/ˈsɔːrdfɪʃ/
A fast ocean predator with a very long, pointed upper beak.
“The swordfish leaped high out of the water.”
