20 Sea Animals Names in English with Characteristics

See animals are known by very different names. The animal that you think about was not thought by the person sitting beside you. The life of water offers huge resources, but it is also very diverse. There are many types of animals in the sea and here we will give you all their names.

Sea Animals Names in English

Fish

You can not see the sea without seeing fish. The name of this animal comes from the Greek word ‘ichthys’. This word means “fish”. There are more than 30,000 kinds of fish in our oceans and seas. Fish live every where in the water except at the bottom of the deepest places.

Whale

Whale is a type of animal that lives in the ocean. This name comes from the Latin word “whalis”, which means large fish. The shape of this animal’s body is horizontal and has a triangular or squarish shape at the front with a flat back. Some whales have teeth, but most species do not.

Dolphin

Dolphin is a name that comes from the old French word “daulphin”. In English, this animal is also known as porpoise. Dolphins are intelligent animals and they can be trained to perform interesting acts.

Octopus

An octopus has eight legs and its name comes from the Greek words oktos and pous, which means eight feet. The octopus is known as a soft animal with long arms and a flat body without any bones.

Crab

Cancer, belonging to the genus of animals called crab, comes from Greek word karkinos, which means hard shell animals. Crabs also come in different shapes and colors, but all have four pairs of legs. Crabs are known to be very funny creatures with long claws.

Bear Crab

The bear crab is not a true type of bear, but it is so called because its color resembles that of the black bear! It also has two big claws in front. The large one is for defense and the smaller one is to dig into the holes for prey.

Shark

This animal belongs to the family of fish, but unlike most types of fish, it has no scales and gills. Sharks are carnivorous animals that usually live in salt water. The name shark comes from Germanic language word “schar” which means rough skin.

Whale Shark

A whale shark is a name that comes from the Latin word “whale” and the Arabic word “shahr”, which means sea monster. In Filipino language, this animal is also called as “butanding”. This gentle giant feeds on plankton and it can eat up to 3 tons of food in one day!

Starfish

Among living animals, starfish is a type of animal that has five arms. It looks like a star and its name comes from the old English word “stera” which means Star. Starfish lives in all oceans and they usually feed on mussels, oysters and clams.

Jellyfish

Jellyfish belongs to the same family as starfish and sea urchins. The name of this animal comes from Old English word “jelly” which means jelly or gel. It is known to be the most venomous marine animals on Earth!

Crocodile Fish

The crocodile fish lives in deep waters and it has a long body like a crocodile. This animal belongs to the family of Chimaeridae. Crocodile fish also known as “ratfish”, has a frog-like mouth and it is very mean when it eats its prey!

Shark ray

The name of this type of fish comes from Hindi word “saama” which means the same. The shape of their body is a little bit like a shark and the color of their belly is white. The back of this fish has white spots.

Parrotfish

The parrotfish belongs to the family of Scaridae! This animal’s name comes from the beak-like coloration of its jaws, which resemble parrots’ beaks! They are known to have a very good memory.

Sea Turtle

A turtle is a type of reptile that has scales and they live on land as well as in water. Their name comes from the Latin word “tortos” which means, twisted. In Filipino language it is also called as “pawikan”. Turtles have been known to be around for about 200 million years.

Cleaner Wrasse

The cleaner wrasse is a type of fish that feeds on parasitic skin crustaceans, which are also called as “cleaners”. It’s name comes from the habit of these clean fish to pick parasites off other fishes’ skin! The cleaner wrasse gets its food by eating the parasites of its client!

Puffer Fish

A puffer fish is also known as “blowfish”. Its name comes from the ability to puff itself up like a balloon when threatened by predators. When it feels endangered, it can blow itself up like a balloon and make its body much bigger than usual!

Squid

Squid belongs to the family of mollusks! Their name comes from Latin word “squidditus” which means squirted. Squid is known for its large eyes and it also has ten tentacles, two long ones and eight shorter ones.

Lion Fish

The lion fish was named by Florida Atlantic graduate student Nicole Kuris in 1994, who wrote a paper on this fish. She chose lionfish because of its beautiful mane. Lion fish is also called “dragon fish”, because of the scary look of its spines!

Otter

An otter is a semi-aquatic mammal that has rich fur. An otter looks like a small bear and it lives in the water! It’s name comes from Old English word “otor” which means water animal.

Sea Horse

The sea horse comes from the family of Sygnathidae and it is closely related to pipefish and seahorses. There is a legend about how it got its name. Long ago, there was a kind sea dragon who fell in love with a mermaid. However the mermaid could not be with him because she had to stay underwater and he couldn’t breathe underwater!

Cormorant

Cormorants are birds that belong to the family of Phalacrocoracidae. A cormorant has a long neck and it eats fish by diving into the water! This bird’s name comes from Latin word “cormare” which means, swimmer with a short neck!

Pelican

Pelicans are large aquatic birds with a very large beak. Their name comes from Latin word “pelecanus” which means, axe-beaked! Pelicans feed on fish by dropping their lower mandible into the water while they fly over it. The lower jaw is equipped with two glands that filter extra salt out of the sea water.

Seal

Seals live in cold, coastal waters and they belong to the family of Pinnipediae. Seals also like to call “sea lions” because they have similar characteristics with sea lions! Their name comes from Old English word “sail”, which means, swimmer.

Coral

Coral is marine invertebrate with a hard skeleton that lives in colonies. Coral gets its name from Greek word “korallion” which means, lily stone!