These crabs spend most of their lives underwater as aquatic animals, living in depths of saltwater.

Native to the Gulf Coast, the White Ibis uses its long bill to forage in shallow water.

A small dabbling duck, a Blue-winged Teal, is dwarfed by a Mallard and only a touch larger than a Green-winged Teal.

Redheads are medium-sized diving ducks with a smoothly rounded head and a moderately large bill.

Hogfish get their unique name from their long, hog-like nose, which they use to root around in the sand to find buried mollusks and crustaceans.

The goliath grouper is the largest grouper species in the Atlantic Ocean, weighing up to 800 pounds. The Aquarium's grouper is named Debbie.

This tropical bird is highly intelligent, filled with energy and personality. Caribbean Journey's scarlet macaw is named Maya.

Contrary to its name, this eel actually has brown skin and a yellow green mucus that gives the illusion of green skin.

This bird can be identified by the center tail feathers moving like the pendulum of a clock when perched.

This unique-looking gooselike species has long red legs and has a very loud and far-carrying call.

Batfish are an unusual species. Their fins are modified to allow them to "walk" on the ocean floor.

These small eels received their name because of how they "plant" themselves in the seabed, leaving only their top halves visible.

There’s a reason why these snakes are called “Rainbow Boas!” Their bodies are noticeably more vibrant than some other species out there.

Poison dart frogs get their toxins from the prey they eat, so they are not poisonous in managed care.

Native to the Gulf of Mexico, the Blue Crab is easily distinguishable by the color of its bright blue walking legs.

The Atlantic Sea Nettle is also known as the East Coast Sea Nettle because this jellyfish inhabits the Atlantic coast of the United States.

Our young ocelot Milla has unique color patterns that can distinguish her from other ocelots.

This venomous fish is an invasive species in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

This snapper is the only known member of its genus. Because of its bright colors, it is popular with both recreational anglers and scuba divers.

This disk-shaped fish spends its juvenile years in estuaries, before moving out into shallow mangroves, beaches, and harbors as an adult.

The bottlenose's torpedo-like body and powerful tails allow them to speed through the water at more than 20 miles per hour.

Palometas are recognizable by their deep bodies, marked with four narrow bars on the sides, along with traces of a fifth fin nearer the tail.

Nurse sharks are slow-moving bottom-dwellers. They get their name from their ability to suck prey out of crevices and shells with their mouth.

This large fish, nicknamed the silver king, is a voracious predator, feeding on small fish and crustaceans.

This species gets it name from the five black bars along its side, which resemble the isignia of the sergeant major military rank. Adult males can change color to a blueish hue while guarding their nesting sites.

The French grunt is generally covered in bright yellow stripes against a silver background, with their fins being colored in a bright yellow shade.

The rock beauty’s appearance allows it to blend it with the rocks and rubble of the coral reefs where they live. Young specimens are always female and have the capacity to change into males when they get older.

This bright red bird used its curved, slender bill to forage for food in shallow water environments. Like the flamingo, the bird’s bright colors come from the crustaceans in its food.

These birds get their vivid pink color from eating crustaceans. Their long necks and legs are made for wading shallow waters in search of food.

This large angelfish, also known as the black angelfish, is commonly found in shallow warms water of the Caribbean, especially in coral reefs. It feed mainly on sponges.

Highly adaptable, these fish can manipulate their pigmentation to reflect or dim light and camouflage themselves depending on their environment.

This blue-silvery fish is armed with powerful jaws and fang-like teeth, using surprise attacks to overrun its prey.

Also known as the brown shark, this shark gets its name from its preferred hunting ground of sandy shallow coastal waters.

These turtles look similar to green sea turtles, but has a parrot-like beak and a rough saw-like lining around their shell.

The Kemp’s Ridley is the smallest sea turtle species and the most endangered, with a female nesting population of around 1,000.

The green sea turtle gets its name from the greenish hue of its skins. The green sea turtles in Tortuga Cay are Squirt, Crush, and Pickles.

Alligators are apex predators in the swamp, feeding on fish, amphibians, reptiles, and just about anything else they can get their jaws around.

This species can be distinguished from the southern stingray by its elongated snout. True to its name, it is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

This shark gets it name from the white-lined black spots behind its pectoral fins, which resembled military epaulettes.

These highly-intelligent mammals live around rivers, canals, lakes, marshes, and bays, where they build their lives around water.

Also known as the Texas cichlid, this freshwater species is the only cichlid native to the United States. It can grow over 33 centimeters in length, and males can develop a protrusion known as a nuchal hump on their head.

The sheepshead, recognizable by its broad vertical stripes, gets its name from their mouth shape, which resembles that of a sheep.

These alligators hatched about 6 inches long and weighing a few ounces, but can grow to be as much as 16 feet long and over 1000 pounds

This stingray is common to the Atlantic ocean. Its flat body allows it to conceal itself on the seabed, and a serrated barb containing a mild toxin in its tail can be used for defense.

This small heron species is often seen with its long neck pulled in tight against its body. It inhabits small low-lying wetlands, where they feed actively on small fish, frogs, and invertebrates

Getting their name from their toad-like appearance, these fish can produce sounds with their swim bladders, which they use as a mating call.

These invertebrates are considered living fossils, having first originated around 450 million years ago. They live in shallow oceans waters on soft and muddy bottoms, feeding on crustaceans and small fish.

Also known as “sea hedgehogs” for their spines, these echinoids have much more widely separated spines than other urchins. Their spines are also not as sharp, with many guests saying they feel like a dull stick.

The most common starfish in the Atlantic, this starfish has five arms can grow 30 cm across or larger. It is usually found on rocky banks, where it feeds on mollusks and other invertebrates.

These truly unique creatures, which can measure almost 6 inches long, are vulnerable in the wild due to coastal growth and pollution. They are monogamous, bonding with a partner for life, where the male gives birth to the offspring.

This large marine fish is distributed across most of the coastal waters of the Atlantic ocean and can be found at depths of around 350 meters. It is a voracious predator, feeding on prawn, shrimps, and cephalopods, among other species.

Named for its red color and its sharp, needle-like teeth, the snapper prefers the bottom of the ocean and can inhabit waters as deep as 300 feet.

These turtles, which can weigh up to 300 pounds or more, are vulnerable in the wild due largely to entanglement in discarded fishing gear.

This tropical bird can be found in forested areas of South America. Wild Flight’s green-winged macaw is named Zeppo.

These African cats have the longest legs relative to their body size of any wild cat. Wild Flight’s serval is named Kimani.

The porkfish is a species of grunt native to the western Atlantic ocean. Porkfish are primarily nocturnal predators, going after prey residing on the ocean floor.

This vibrant fish is found in warmer waters of the Atlantic ocean. In the wild it feed most on sponges, but its diet can also include jellyfish, corals, plankton, and algae.

These rays are found throughout the Atlantic and Caribbean sea, and can grow up to 45 inches in width and weight 50 pounds or more. When threatened it can use a barb containing a toxin in its tail to defend itself.

The parrotfish's large beak used to scrape algae and other organisms from rocks and hard coral.

Commonly called a pufferfish, this species can inflate its body by swallowing air or water, deterring predators from trying to eat it. Its sharp spines offer another line of defense.

Bamboo sharks are oviparous, meaning they lay eggs. Their egg casings are nicknamed “mermaid’s purses” for their unique shape.

These tiny aquatic crustaceans help supplement the diets of many of our other species. Brine shrimp are found worldwide, and get their name from their ability to live in waters of very high salinity.