Each day throws up a new learning opportunity, and at Deep Sea Aquarium, we love passing on our extensive knowledge of the animal kingdom. So, what better way to showcase some of our favourite underwater and land creatures than through the alphabet?
Learn the Letters of the Alphabet: Animal Edition
Below you can take a gander at 26 animals – one for each letter of the alphabet – starting with A and going all the way to Z.
Want to know more about any of the animals listed above? Well, you’re in luck because we’ve got plenty of interesting facts to share on each and every one of them!
Animals that Start with A to Z: Quick Fun Facts!
Ready for some quick-fire facts on the animals we’ve chosen? Let’s begin with ‘A’ for axolotl…
Axolotl
The axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is a unique species of salamander that doesn’t undergo metamorphosis. Instead, it holds onto its youthful looks and never outgrows the juvenile stage – a phenomenon known as neoteny.
If you’d like to learn more about these curious creatures, you can check out our list of 23 axolotl facts!
Big bellied seahorse
Next up, we have ‘B’ for the big-bellied seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis). This species of seahorse is thought to be the biggest in the world, growing up to a maximum size of around 28cm. But this isn’t the only thing that makes this creature unique, since it’s also the only animal that can experience true male pregnancy. During mating season, a female will transfer the eggs to the male who then looks after the young for around three weeks. He can then give birth to live young, sometimes to hundreds of them in fact!
Clownfish
Also known as the loveable film character ‘Nemo’, the clownfish (Amphiprioninae) is our third aquatic animal on the list. Besides being one of our most popular fish here at Deep Sea World thanks to the popularity of the children’s film franchise, clownfish also have plenty of unique traits that make them exciting in their own right.
One of these traits is their ability to live within the stinging tentacles of anemones through their built-up immunity to the toxins they release. The symbiotic relationship that clownfish have with anemones benefits both creatures, since the clownfish is protected by the tentacles and the anemones receive nutrients brought in by the clownfish.
Damselfish
It’s ‘D’ for damselfish! There are actually around 250 species of this fish, and these can be found in habitats all over the world. The majority stick to warm, tropical saltwater habitats, although some can be found in brackish and freshwater habitats closer to the subtropics.
Eagle ray
Gliding gracefully through the water, the eagle ray (Myliobatidae) represents the letter ‘E’ in our alphabet. This species of ray has flat teeth perfect for crushing molluscs and crustaceans which are key to their diets. Despite being bottom feeders, though, they often swim near the ocean’s surface and leap out of the water to display their fascinating features such as their long tails and pointed fins.
Foxface rabbitfish
‘F’ is for foxface rabbitfish (Siganus vulpinus), and these fish are super easy to spot against the coral thanks to their vibrant yellow bodies. They get their name from their fox-like snout featuring bands of black, brown and white.
Green and black poison dart frog
With poison glands on the surface of their bodies, green and black poison dart frogs (Dendrobates auratus) are an animal you don’t want to get on the wrong side of. They can easily entrap their prey using their sticky, retractable tongues and can poison their captive prey so that they can eat it.
Another fun fact is that these amphibians almost never feel pain either, since their skin can be 200 times more effective at blocking pain than morphine!
Harbour seal
Our harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) represent the letter ‘H’ in our alphabet, and these friendly sea mammals are some of the cutest at the aquarium. Out in the wild, you’re most likely to find them in the coastal salt waters north of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Iridescent shark
‘I’ is for iridescent shark (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) in our animal alphabet. Despite its name, however, this creature isn’t actually classified as a shark and in reality, is a species of catfish. In the juvenile stages, this creature glows, which is why its referred to as ‘iridescent’.
Jellyfish
For ‘J’, we’ve got the jellyfish (Scyphozoa), and these invertebrates actually don’t have a brain, heart, bones or eyes. You might be wondering how they survive without all this, but instead of a central brain, they have a nervous system distributed throughout their bodies that keeps them going!
Krill
We’ve chosen krill (Euphausiacea) as the animal for ‘K’. These shrimp-like creatures might be small, but they’re actually a huge part of the marine ecosystem. Since they feed on phytoplankton, they’ve become a staple in the diets of hundreds of other animals, including birds, other fish and even whales.
Lobster
The letter ‘L’ is for lobster (Nephropidae), and although you might automatically associate these creatures with the colour red, lobsters can have multiple colour variations, including a combination of brown, grey, green, and blue.
Moray eel
We’re halfway through! The letter ‘M’ is represented by the moray eel (Muraenidae), and since many of these are nocturnal, they spend their days hiding in crevices while the nighttime is when they’re most active and can be spotted hunting.
Neon tetra
The first of our tetra species, the neon tetra (Aracheirodon innesi) features for the letter ‘N’. As with many other tetras, these fish are on the smaller side, but the vibrant neon colours more than make up for their tiny stature. With a bright blue neon stripe stretching across its body, and a half-and-half red and silver lower half, they’re super easy to identify.
Oriental fire bellied toad
‘O’ is for Oriental fire bellied toad (Bombina orientalis), and this tiny amphibian packs a punch with its toxicity from its skin. They can even flip themselves over when they feel threatened, revealing their bright red and black colourings intended to deter predators from approaching.
Pufferfish
The pufferfish (Tetraodontidae) fits nicely under ‘P’ in our alphabet. This Brackish water-dwelling fish has two pairs of teeth fused together, giving it a unique beak-like appearance. But this double layer of teeth also serves an important purpose, helping the fish to easily crush the shells of crustaceans.
Queen angelfish
‘Q’ is for queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris), and if you’re wondering where this vibrant fish gets its royal title, we can tell you that it comes from the speckled, blue-ringed black spot on its head which resembles a crown.
Royal python
We bet you didn’t think you’d encounter so much royalty at our aquarium! The royal python (Python regius), sometimes known as a ball python because they tend to roll into a ball for defence, are ambush predators who kill their prey by encircling it and tightening the coils to cause suffocation. It might not be glamorous, but it sure gets the job done!
Sand tiger shark
We’ve included our popular sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus) for ‘S’ and one of our favourite facts about these friendly creatures is that they’re the only shark known to come up to the water’s surface for air. Intrigued to learn more? Discover more interesting facts and information here.
Tigerfish
‘T’ is for tigerfish (Hydrocynus vittatus) in our animal alphabet. Earning its name because of its tiger-like stripes spreading lengthways across its body, there are multiple types of this fish in waters around the world. From the large goliath tigerfish to the Siamese tigerfish endemic to Indochina, there’s plenty of diversity in this fish species.
Urchin
For the letter ‘U’, we have the urchin (Echinoidea) which belongs to the Echinodermata family – a term simply meaning spiny-skinned. These tiny and spiny creatures are actually some of the oldest in the world having been around for more than 450 million years. That’s even longer than the dinosaurs!
Velvet swimming crab
The velvet swimming crab (Necora puber) represents the letter ‘V’ of our animal alphabet. It gets its name from its velvety appearance and texture, and if you look closely, you’ll find that the crab is actually covered in tiny hairs!
White’s tree frog
For ‘W’, we’ve included the white’s tree frog (Litoria caerulea). Unlike many other frog species, the white’s tree frog actually prefers to live in the trees away from any water sources. But they still need water to survive – they simply get this from rainwater that collects on leaves and in crevices within the trees.
X-ray tetra
We thought it was only right that one of the least used letters of the alphabet would be represented by an exciting and unusual creature like the X-ray tetra (Pristella maxillaris). This small fish is covered in a translucent layer of skin, meaning it can go undetected by predators and keep itself safe.
Yellow tang
For ‘Y’ we have the yellow tang (Zebrasoma flavescens). This brightly-coloured fish primarily feeds on algae and can typically be found in the tropical reefs of the Pacific Ocean, specifically around the Hawaiian Islands. It can also be found in the western Atlantic just off the coast of Florida.
Zebra shark
Finally, we have the zebra shark (Stegostoma tigrinum) and while you might be picturing the typical shark, these fish are slightly different from what you might first think. They have whisker-like barbels sitting in front of their snouts, small mouths, and rounded, sand-coloured bodies. In fact, the only feature they possess that closely resembles that of a typical shark species is the long, powerful tail.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this A-Z of animals! To find out more about our exciting creatures at Deep Sea World, you can check out our animals page. Itching to come along and see these animals up close and personal? Book your tickets today and start planning your next aquarium visit.