Aquarium Guide

Aquarium Guide

With fun facts about more than 100 animals, this long-awaited Aquarium Guide includes beautiful pictures and reveals the incredible facts and design features that point to our amazing Creator. This handy size guide is excellent for school field trips and family trips to your favorite aquarium!

Contents

    • pp. 12–13

      The archerfish gets its name from its ability to shoot a precisely-aimed stream of water at its prey, which are mostly insects living on land.

    • Australian Lungfish
      pp. 14–15

      With the Australian lungfish being limited to the waters of Queensland, Australia, how did remains of this creature get in Northern Ireland?

    • Barracuda
      pp. 16–17

      Originally, this creature did not eat meat; it ate plants since all animals were created vegetarians.

    • Butterflyfish
      pp. 18–19

      The butterflyfish is a laterally thin fish.

    • Catfish
      pp. 20–21

      The catfish can also secrete mucus that keeps it from drying out if it finds itself in an evaporating body of water.

    • Cleaner Fish
      pp. 22–23

      This fish is called a cleaner fish because it attracts larger fish to its cleaning station where the larger fish are cleaned.

    • Clown Triggerfish
      pp. 24–25

      The clown triggerfish gets its name because of its unusual coloring and pattern. The clown triggerfish’s lips are bright orange.

    • Copper Rockfish
      pp. 26–27

      Unlike the salmon, which dies soon after spawning, the copper rockfish can live to reproduce year after year.

    • Discus Fish
      pp. 28–29

      As with other cichlids, both discus fish parents care for the young.

    • French Angelfish
      pp. 30–31

      A young French angelfish has a unique “job” to perform in the ocean.

    • Guppy
      pp. 32–33

      The colors of different populations of guppies vary greatly depending on the number of predators.

    • pp. 34–35

      The humphead wrasse has large, plump lips that make this fish the perfect creature to control the growth of toxic and spiny reef creatures.

    • pp. 38–39

      When foraging, the longhorn cowfish often blows jets of water out of its mouth at the sand surface to uncover buried prey.

    • pp. 40–41

      The longnose hawkfish often makes its home among flame corals, which have stinging cells called nematocysts.

    • Long-Spine Porcupine Fish
      pp. 42–43

      The long-spine porcupinefish has dark patches on its sides and back. It has long spines that protrude from all over its body, except for the fins and face.

    • pp. 44–45

      The juvenile lookdown sports long filaments from its dorsal fin, which help it blend in with grasses.

    • pp. 46–47

      The mandarinfish produces a thick mucous that covers its body. Scientists believe that this secretion could ward off potential predators.

    • pp. 48–49

      The bars of color on the body of the Moorish idol break up the body outline and make it harder for predators to tell where the fish begins and ends.

    • pp. 50–51

      The shape of the moray eel allows it to hunt prey that is larger than it can swallow.

    • pp. 52–53

      The relationship that the clownfish has with a sea anemone is truly a wonderful design feature.

    • pp. 54–55

      The firefish’s elongated dorsal fin is used to communicate with other firefish.

    • pp. 56–57

      The teeth of the parrotfish are uniquely designed to scrape algae from coral and rocks.

    • pp. 58–59

      The piranha hunts in packs of 20–30.

    • pp. 60–61

      This creature’s amazing camouflage and attack structures point to its intelligent Creator.

    • pp. 62–63

      The remora does not have a swim bladder.

    • pp. 64–65

      The scrawled filefish can stand its primary dorsal fin erect to lodge itself into a crack or crevice of a reef.

    • Sea Dragon
      pp. 66–67

      The sea dragon has elaborate skin filaments that hang from its head, body, and tail.

    • pp. 68–69

      The body of the seahorse is similar to the leafy and weedy sea dragons.

    • pp. 70–71

      The smooth trunkfish “blows” jets of water at the seafloor to uncover organisms that are hidden.

    • pp. 72–73

      Tightening its muscular body to make itself rigid, the spotted garden eel drives its pointy tail deep into the sandy sea floor.

    • pp. 74–75

      The trumpetfish is a sneaky predator.

    • pp. 76–77

      The mouth of this fish (like other surgeonfishes) is perfectly designed to carefully remove the algae from coral while leaving the coral intact.

    • pp. 78–79

      By instinct, the white sturgeon spawns in swift-moving water.

    • pp. 82–83

      The yellow tang is designed with sharp spines near its tail to help protect itself against predators.

    • pp. 86–87

      The blacktip reef shark is one of the only sharks that can jump fully out of the water.

    • pp. 88–89

      The blue shark’s sleek, tapered body makes it a graceful swimmer.

    • pp. 90–91

      This shark is a grayish-brown color on its dorsal side with a lighter underside. It has small teeth in the front of its mouth and broad teeth in the back.

    • pp. 92–93

      The most striking design feature is the shape of the great hammerhead shark’s head.

    • pp. 94–95

      Research indicates that the red blood cells of the leopard shark are smaller and more numerous than the red blood cells of other sharks.

    • pp. 96–97

      Flexible horns are used to direct plankton and water into the manta’s very broad and wide mouth.

    • pp. 98–99

      Unlike most sharks, the nurse shark does not have to constantly move water across its gills to breathe.

    • pp. 100–101

      The eyes of the stingray are on the top of its body, while its mouth is on the underside of its body.

    • pp. 102–103

      Like most sharks, the tiger shark has an incredible sense of smell.

    • pp. 104–105

      The whale shark is dark gray or greenish gray from its back to the middle of its sides. Its belly is off-white.

    • pp. 106–107

      The whitetip reef shark is a nocturnal creature.

    • pp. 108–109

      Like other bottom-dwelling sharks, the zebra shark can pump water over its gills.

    • pp. 110–111

      The lobster has a unique design. Its mouth is used for much more than just eating.

    • pp. 112–113

      The box jellyfish is able to see through four sets of eyes!

    • Chambered Nautilus
      pp. 114–115

      The nautilus has an unusually long life span for a cephalopod; it may live for more than 15 years.

    • pp. 116–117

      The chiton is well-designed for its habitat and diet.

    • Cleaner Shrimp
      pp. 118–119

      This shrimp is known for the orange coloring along its sides and the long red stripe on its dorsal side that is bisected by a narrow, white band.

    • pp. 120–121

      The shape of the limpet varies. The closer the limpet is to the water, the flatter and smaller its shell.

    • pp. 122–123

      Common mussels live in large colonies.

    • pp. 124–125

      Small but numerous spines of the common sand dollar are its primary tool for burrowing within the upper few centimeters of sandy ocean bottoms.

    • pp. 126–127

      Scientists have discovered that coral has layers.

    • Crayfish
      pp. 128–129

      The crayfish must shed its hard exoskeleton in order for its soft body to grow and mature.

    • pp. 130–131

      The thick internal shell of a cuttlefish is called a cuttlebone. It is made of calcium carbonate and contains numerous gas- and/or water-filled chambers.

    • Feather Duster
      pp. 132–133

      The feather duster has a series of feathery tentacles on its head that it uses to filter nutrients from the water and take in oxygen.

    • pp. 134–135

      The ghost crab is aptly named. It is a pale, sandy color, making it almost invisible on the sand. Its black eyes are held aloft on stalks.

    • pp. 136–137

      The giant clam gets some of its food by filtering the seawater with its siphon.

    • pp. 138–139

      The giant octopus is one of the largest invertebrates.

    • pp. 140–141

      Some hermit crabs have an unusual relationship with the sea anemone.

    • pp. 142–143

      The soft body of the horseshoe crab is protected by a hard, outer shell.

    • pp. 144–145

      The oyster is a filter-feeder that gets its food by filtering food particles from water with its gills.

    • pp. 146–147

      The five bony teeth of the sea urchin were given to the original created kind to help it scrape algae (its food) from rocks.

    • pp. 148–149

      The conch builds its own shell out of calcium carbonate that it gets from the ocean.

    • pp. 150–151

      The scallop has an incredibly strong muscle that keeps its shell closed.

    • pp. 152–153

      Some sea anemones have an important symbiotic relationship with algae species.

    • pp. 154–155

      When surprised by a predator, some sea cucumbers can expel their internal organs along with a sticky substance.

    • Sea Slug
      pp. 156–157

      Most sea slugs are brightly colored, which may warn potential predators to stay away.

    • pp. 158–159

      The sea star usually has five sections or arms, or multiples of 5, 10, 20, or even 40 arms.

    • pp. 160–161

      Part of this creature’s defense mechanism is its bright coloring.

    • pp. 162–163

      God designed the sponge with the ability to draw water into its body through tiny holes.

    • Squid
      pp. 164–165

      The squid has two fins, a mantle, and a head that bears eight arms and two tentacles, each covered with suckers, which are armed with hooks or sucker rings.

    • pp. 166–167

      The whelk uses its radula (a tongue-like feature with rows of teeth) to bore a hole into the shell of its prey to reach the protected flesh.

    • Albatross
      pp. 168–169

      With its large wings, the albatross uses wind currents to aid in extended flights.

    • Anhinga
      pp. 170–171

      The anhinga’s neck, bill, and feet all help it catch prey.

    • Arctic Tern
      pp. 172–173

      The Arctic tern has a white body with a black cap on its head, gray upper wings, back, and underparts, and a deeply forked white tail.

    • Atlantic Puffin
      pp. 174–175

      All three species of puffins stand upright and have black and white head and body plumage. They also have brightly-colored bills, mostly yellow and orange.

    • Common Murre
      pp. 176–177

      The common murre dives after its food, often to depths of 100 ft (30 m).

    • Double-Crested Cormorant
      pp. 178–179

      The double-crested cormorant is designed with a hook-like tip on its bill, which helps it capture its prey underwater.

    • pp. 180–181

      The emperor penguin is the largest of the penguin species. It is easily recognized with its jet black head, grayish-black wings and back, and white belly.

    • Flamingo
      pp. 182–183

      The flamingo is known for its bright pink feathers and uniquely downcurved black-tipped bill, which is adapted to filter feeding.

    • Glaucous-Winged Gull
      pp. 184–185

      The glaucous-winged gull eats mollusks that have hard outer shells by dropping them onto coastal rocks from the air to break them open.

    • Great White Pelican
      pp. 186–187

      The great white pelican has white feathers with black wing tips.

    • Mandarin Duck
      pp. 188–189

      This bird is not hunted for food because it has a bad taste.

    • Roseate Spoonbill
      pp. 190–191

      The roseate spoonbill feeds by wading slowly through the water, sweeping its long bill from side to side.

    • Beluga Whale
      pp. 192–193

      The beluga whale is known for its milky white skin. Young are gray or pinkish brown at birth but fade to white as they grow.

    • Bottlenose Dolphin
      pp. 194–195

      The name “bottlenose” comes from this dolphin’s elongated upper and lower jaws that form what is called the “rostrum.”

    • Harbor Seal
      pp. 198–199

      The harbor seal is covered by a coat of short, thick hairs. These hairs are white to black.

    • pp. 200–201

      Killer whales are the largest member of the dolphin family.

    • Manatee
      pp. 202–203

      The manatee is a large creature with two fore-flippers and one rear flipper that acts as a rudder when it swims. The manatee is often referred to as a sea cow.

    • pp. 204–205

      The sea otter has webbed hind feet which are perfect for swimming; its forefeet are smaller with semi-retractable claws.

    • pp. 208–209

      The alligator snapping turtle has a fascinating hunting technique.

    • pp. 210–211

      The adult diamondback terrapin nests on sandy borders of coastal salt marshes or in dunes from June to July.

    • pp. 214–215

      Sea turtles can rest or sleep underwater for several hours at a time.

    • pp. 216–217

      Being a cold-blooded creature, the marine iguana can spend only a limited time in the cold water surrounding the Galapagos Islands to find its food.

    • pp. 218–219

      The sea snake is an air-breathing reptile and must come to the surface to breathe.

    • Yellow perch are poor swimmers. As a result, these creatures swim in schools.

    • The Creator gave the zebrafish the ability to regenerate its skin, fins, heart, and even its brain in larval stages.