EXPANDED REPRESENTATIVE COLLECTION

Explore animal diversity through classification.

Eighteen representative species—seven invertebrates and eleven vertebrates—open pathways into taxonomy, adaptations, habitats, connections, aliases, and verified curiosities.

Image labels and credits are placed below the photographs so they never cover biological details.

PORIFERA · CNIDARIA · ANNELIDA · MOLLUSCA · ARTHROPODA · ECHINODERMATA

Invertebrates

Invertebrate · Porifera · Demospongiae

Giant barrel sponge

Xestospongia muta

Also known as: redwood of the reef, giant sponge

Habitat: Caribbean and western Atlantic coral reefs, from shallow reefs to mesophotic depths.
Connection: Its surface and cavities shelter brittle stars, squat lobsters, fishes, microbes, and other small reef organisms.

Did you know?

A giant barrel sponge is an animal, not a plant.

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Invertebrate · Cnidaria

Staghorn coral

Acropora cervicornis

Also known as: branching coral, staghorn acropora

Habitat: Shallow, warm Caribbean and western Atlantic reefs with strong sunlight and water movement.
Connection: Its branches shelter juvenile fish and invertebrates and help build reef complexity.

Did you know?

A coral colony is made of many tiny animals called polyps.

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Invertebrate · Mollusca

Common octopus

Octopus vulgaris

Also known as: common European octopus, common octopus

Habitat: Rocky coasts, reefs, caves, and seafloor shelters in warm and temperate seas.
Connection: It links rocky shelters with crustaceans, mollusks, fish, and larger predators.

Did you know?

An octopus has three hearts.

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Invertebrate · Arthropoda · Crustacea

Blue crab

Callinectes sapidus

Also known as: Atlantic blue crab, blue swimmer crab

Habitat: Estuaries, bays, salt marshes, and coastal waters of the western Atlantic.
Connection: It transfers energy between marshes, seagrass beds, shellfish, fish, birds, and people.

Did you know?

Its scientific name means “beautiful savory swimmer.”

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Invertebrate · Echinodermata

Common sea star

Asterias rubens

Also known as: common starfish, European sea star

Habitat: Rocky shores and shallow seafloors of the northeast Atlantic.
Connection: By feeding on dominant shellfish, sea stars can help maintain diversity in rocky-shore communities.

Did you know?

A sea star is not a fish.

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Invertebrate · Annelida · Polychaeta

Giant tube worm

Riftia pachyptila

Also known as: giant hydrothermal-vent tube worm, Riftia tubeworm

Habitat: Hydrothermal vents in the deep eastern Pacific, including the Galápagos Rift and East Pacific Rise.
Connection: It provides structure for vent communities and depends completely on microbes, mineral-rich water, and the geology of active seafloor vents.

Did you know?

Adult giant tube worms have no mouth, stomach, or anus.

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Invertebrate · Arthropoda · Insecta

Monarch butterfly

Danaus plexippus

Also known as: monarch, milkweed butterfly

Habitat: Open habitats with milkweed for caterpillars and nectar flowers for adults.
Connection: It connects milkweed, flowering plants, pollination networks, predators, climate, and landscapes across countries.

Did you know?

No single butterfly completes the entire multigenerational migration.

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CHONDRICHTHYES · ACTINOPTERYGII · AMPHIBIA · REPTILIA · AVES · MAMMALIA

Vertebrates

Vertebrate · Fish · Chondrichthyes

Whale shark

Rhincodon typus

Also known as: largest fish, whale shark

Habitat: Tropical and warm-temperate oceans, often near productive coasts and seasonal plankton blooms.
Connection: Its movements reveal links between plankton blooms, ocean currents, tourism, fisheries, and international conservation.

Did you know?

The whale shark is the largest living fish.

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Vertebrate · Fish · Actinopterygii

Atlantic salmon

Salmo salar

Also known as: Atlantic salmon, sea-run salmon

Habitat: Cold rivers for spawning and juvenile growth, followed by years in the North Atlantic.
Connection: Salmon move marine nutrients into rivers and forests and connect ocean conditions with watershed health.

Did you know?

Atlantic salmon can live in both freshwater and seawater.

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Vertebrate · Amphibia

Axolotl

Ambystoma mexicanum

Also known as: Mexican walking fish, Mexican salamander

Habitat: Freshwater canals and wetlands of the Xochimilco system in Mexico City.
Connection: It reflects the health of Xochimilco wetlands and links traditional landscapes, water quality, invasive species, and conservation science.

Did you know?

The axolotl usually remains aquatic for life.

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Vertebrate · Amphibia

American bullfrog

Lithobates catesbeianus

Also known as: bullfrog, North American bullfrog

Habitat: Ponds, lakes, marshes, slow rivers, and reservoirs.
Connection: It links aquatic and terrestrial food webs; outside its native range it can strongly affect local species.

Did you know?

The name comes from the male’s deep call, often compared with a bull.

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Vertebrate · Reptilia

Green sea turtle

Chelonia mydas

Also known as: green turtle, honu

Habitat: Tropical and subtropical coasts, seagrass beds, reefs, and nesting beaches.
Connection: Grazing can influence seagrass meadows, while migrations connect distant reefs, coasts, and beaches.

Did you know?

The “green” name refers to the color of body fat, not the shell.

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Vertebrate · Reptilia

American alligator

Alligator mississippiensis

Also known as: gator, Mississippi alligator

Habitat: Freshwater wetlands, marshes, swamps, lakes, and slow rivers of the southeastern United States.
Connection: Alligator holes can retain water during dry periods and provide refuge for many wetland organisms.

Did you know?

Alligator mothers guard nests and young.

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Vertebrate · Aves

Bald eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Also known as: American eagle, white-headed eagle

Habitat: Large lakes, rivers, reservoirs, estuaries, and coasts with fish and tall nesting trees.
Connection: It links aquatic food webs with forests and shorelines and may recycle nutrients by scavenging.

Did you know?

Young bald eagles do not have a white head and tail.

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Vertebrate · Aves

Great blue heron

Ardea herodias

Also known as: great blue, blue heron

Habitat: Marshes, rivers, lakes, mangroves, estuaries, and shorelines.
Connection: It transfers energy from aquatic prey to terrestrial nesting colonies and signals productive shallow-water habitat.

Did you know?

It can stand nearly motionless before striking at prey.

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Vertebrate · Mammalia

Florida manatee

Trichechus manatus latirostris

Also known as: sea cow, Florida sea cow

Habitat: Florida rivers, springs, estuaries, bays, and coastal waters, with warm-water refuges in winter.
Connection: Its survival connects clean water, healthy vegetation, safe travel routes, warm refuges, boating, and human responsibility.

Did you know?

New molars form at the back and slowly move forward like a conveyor belt.

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Vertebrate · Mammalia

Orca

Orcinus orca

Also known as: killer whale, blackfish

Habitat: Oceans worldwide, from polar seas to tropical waters, with populations specialized for different habitats and prey.
Connection: Orcas link prey abundance, food-web structure, underwater sound, contaminants, fisheries, and social knowledge.

Did you know?

Orcas are the largest members of the dolphin family.

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Vertebrate · Mammalia

Little brown bat

Myotis lucifugus

Also known as: little brown myotis, little brown bat

Habitat: Forests, wetlands, buildings, caves, and mines across much of North America.
Connection: By consuming insects, bats connect forests, wetlands, agriculture, nighttime food webs, and cave ecosystems.

Did you know?

It can catch hundreds of insects during a night of feeding.

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