Species ID & Basics
This marine reptile with a large head nests on Queensland beaches and is known for powerful jaws that crush crabs and molluscs.
Loggerhead turtle
This turtle species is named for the colour of its body fat and often feeds in Queensland seagrass meadows.
Green sea turtle
This shark is an apex predator in many marine ecosystems and has been featured in numerous documentaries.
Great white shark
This whale migrates along the Queensland coast each year to give birth in warm tropical waters.
Humpback whale
This small reef fish illustrates mutualism: without its anemone host, survival chances plummet.
Clownfish
This bright blue-green fish, also called dolphinfish, is famous for its fast growth and popularity as a gamefish
Mahi mahi
This shark’s head shape improves vision and helps detect prey buried in the sand.
Hammerhead shark
This iconic barramundi is a prized catch in Queensland estuaries and is both predator and prey in food webs.
Barramundi
This whale is the largest animal ever known to live on Earth.
Blue whale
This filter-feeder faces threats from boat strikes and entanglement, despite being harmless to humans.
Whale shark
This apex predator is nicknamed the “killer whale” but is actually the largest member of the dolphin family
Orca
This ray glides gracefully over sandy bottoms and uses electroreceptors to locate hidden prey.
Eagle ray
This massive grouper can grow longer than 2.5m and plays a role in controlling reef fish populations.
Queensland grouper
This highly venomous jellyfish is considered one of the deadliest marine animals in the world.
Box jellyfish
Declines in this apex predator disrupt trophic cascades, causing imbalances in prey populations on reefs.
Orca
This gentle giant is the largest fish in the world, feeding mostly on plankton
Whale shark
This turtle, the largest living species of sea turtle, has a leathery shell and can dive over 1,000 metres.
Leatherback turtle
This large filter-feeding ray, with wingspans up to 7m, consumes plankton at reef cleaning stations.
Manta ray
This turtle species has a beak-like mouth that allows it to feed on sponges, helping maintain reef balance.
Hawksbill turtle
Overfishing of this fast-growing pelagic fish disrupts food webs and recreational fishing industries.
Mahi mahi
This small, colourful fish lives among sea anemones for protection in coral reef ecosystems.
Clownfish
This tiny box-jellyfish relative can cause excruciating pain and even cardiac arrest in humans despite its small size
Irukandji
This demersal fish is well camouflaged on sandy seabeds, making it a key ambush predator in estuaries.
Flathead
This small octopus has bright warning rings and carries enough venom to kill 26 humans within minutes.
Blue-ringed octopus
This turtle is listed as vulnerable, and international bans on egg harvesting are one conservation measure.
Leatherback turtle