Creature Feature

Explore some of the marine life living at Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary including some fun facts about how they form the live-bottom habitats of the southeast United States.

Visit this NOAA Oceans of Possibilities page for coloring pages, puzzles, activities, and games.

Invertebrates

Red, brown, white, and orange sponges attached to the rocky bottom of the seafloor — Sponges (Phylum: Porifera)
Coming in all shapes and sizes, these animals form colonies providing food, shelter, and water filtration. Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

Orange branches of soft corals grow vertically from the seafloor — Soft Corals (Phylum: Cnidaria)
Soft corals—or octocorals—grow upwards into the flowing currents to catch drifting food particles. Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

Red, brown, white, and A white and brown jellyfish drifts in the ocean with the silhouette of a scuba diver in the background. — Jellies (Phylum: Cnidaria)
Cannonball jellies (shown here) and Atlantic sea nettles drift with currents and provide a home for some fish and shrimp species. Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

Closeup of zoanthid polyps withwhite translucent tentacles surrounding an oral disc. — Zoanthids (Phylum: Cnidaria)
These soft-bodied corals sometimes cover large areas of the reef. Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

A group of yellow sea stars tangle their rays while resting on sponges on the sea floor — Sea Stars (Phylum: Echinodermata)
Sea stars typically have five rays extending from a central disc and use their tube feet to move around the seafloor and eat. They feed on clams, snails, and mussels. Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

A tube-shaped animal crawls on a sandy seafloor. — Sea Cucumbers (Phylum: Echinodermata)
Sea cucumbers scavenge the seafloor and keep the bottom clear of dead or dying material—which is important for the oxygenation of sediments. Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

Orange and yellow marine animals with large holes in their bodies clustered together — Tunicates (Phylum: Chordata)
Commonly known as "sea squirts," tunicates pump water through their bodies while filtering for phytoplankton. Although tunicates are invertebrates, they belong to the Phylum Chordata, which also includes animals with backbones. Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

Two crabs hide in a hole on a rocky reef. — Crabs (Phylum: Arthropoda)
Crabs live from the coastal marsh to offshore reefs. Crabs help keep the reef clean of loose debris. Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

A red and white octopus crawls out of a hole on a reef surrounded by swimming fish and empty seashells. — Octopus (Phylum: Mollusca)
These eight-armed creatures are one of the cryptic species of the reef. Divers find them hiding in their dens within crevices or holes. Photo: Peter Auster/University of Connecticut & Mystic Aquarium

A blue and yellow sea slug crawls on an ocean reef with orange and red marine life in the background. — Nudibranch (Phylum: Mollusca)
A type of sea slug, nudibranchs use exposed gills, usually located on their back, to breathe. Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

Fishes

Schools of silver fish with vertical black bars swim in the ocean. — Atlantic Spadefish (Chaetodipterus)
Often called the Gray's Reef "welcoming party," schools of Atlantic spadefish swim throughout the sanctuary. Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

Two brown fish swim close to a reef top covered in sponges and algae. — Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata)
Sanctuary scientists study the movement and migration of black sea bass using several methods, including hydrophones (underwater microphones). Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

A school of black-colored fish swim near the ocean floor with blue water in the background. — Cubbyu (Pareques umbrosus)
Moving in large schools close to the seafloor, cubbyu (pronounced "CUB-you") search for small crabs and shrimp. Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

A green and black-striped fish resting on a yellow sponge. — Seaweed Blenny (Parablennius marmoreus)
Scientists use the term "cryptic fish" to describe blennies and other fish, which remain hidden on the reef. Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

A black and green fish laying flat on the seafloor surrounded by algae and a close-up photo of the eye of a fish. — Southern Flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma)
Flounder typically lay flat in sand for camouflage. With two eyes on one side of their body, they wait to ambush smaller fish. Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

A gray fish swims around rocks on the seafloor — Gag Grouper (Mycteroperca microlepis)
Most grouper species are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning they hatch as females and individuals change to males when there is a need. Photo: NOAA

A black and green fish laying flat on the seafloor surrounded by algae and a close-up photo of the eye of a fish. — Lionfish (Pterois volitans)
Venomous
Invasive lionfish were first seen at Gray's Reef in 2007. Their hungry appetite for juvenile fish has major impacts on the reef's food web. Photo: NOAA

A school of long, silver-colored fish with black bars swim through the ocean. — King Mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla)
School of fast-moving mackerel roam through Gray's Reef and anglers frequent the sanctuary during tournaments. Photo: NOAA

A brown and green eel pokes its head out of a rocky ocean reef. — Ocellated Moray (Gymnothorax saxicola)
Eels are a type of long-bodied fish often found hiding in holes and under ledges. Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

A number of red fish resting below a rocky ledge on an ocean reef. — Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus)
U.S. wild-caught red snapper is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed under rebuilding plans that allow limited harvest by U.S. anglers. Photo: Justin Miyano/NOAA

Sharks

A group of sharks and other fish surround a diver and a rope in the water. — Blacktip Shark (Carcharhinus limbatus)
Individual blacktip sharks have frequented the sanctuary for consecutive years, some even showing up on the same day in different years. Photo: NOAA

A pair of sharks with hammer-shaped heads swim through the water. — Great Hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran)
Great hammerhead sharks are identifiable by their tall dorsal fin. Photo: Mitchell Tartt/NOAA

A large shark swims towards the camera near the water's surface. — White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
White sharks make long transits around the Atlantic Ocean, occasionally passing through Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Terry Goss/NOAA

two pictures of sharks swimming near a sandy seafloor with a diver swimming overhead. — Nurse Shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum)
Nurse sharks are the most common shark seen at Gray's Reef. Oftentimes they rest under the overhangs of the reef ledges. Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

A shark with jagged teeth swims over a shipwreck with schools of fish in front of it. — Sand Tiger Shark (Carcharhinus taurus)
The sand tiger shark is the only known shark that stores air in its stomach to maintain neutral buoyancy. Photo: Tane Casserley/NOAA

The white underside of a shark swimming towards the camera. — Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)
Tiger sharks traveling through Gray's Reef have been picked up by acoustic receivers as part of the Decade of Detections report. Photo: G.P. Schmahl/NOAA

Sea Turtles

Did you know: All sea turtles are considered endangered species?

A sea turtle with barnacles on its shell coming out from below a rocky ledge. — Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta)
Loggerheads are the most common sea turtle seen at Gray's Reef, but the southeast U.S. populations have declined due to bycatch in fishing gear. Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

A sea turtle swims on a coral reef while looking into the camera. — Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)
The green sea turtle is unique among sea turtles in that they are herbivores, eating mostly seagrasses and algae. Photo: Claire Fackler/NOAA

A sea turtle swims on a coral reef. — Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Hawksbills are known as "spongivores" because their diet consists mainly of sponges. Photo: G.P. Schmahl/NOAA

A sea turtle rests on a sandy beach. — Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)
Kemp's ridley sea turtles are the smallest sea turtle in the world with a majority of their population in the Gulf of Mexico. Photo: NOAA

A black sea turtle raises its head above the water's surface — Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
Leatherbacks are the largest sea turtle in the world (weighing up to 1,000 lbs) and can dive to depths of 4,000 ft. Photo: Douglas Croft/NOAA

Marine Mammals

Two gray-colored whales breathe air at the ocean's surface. — North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)
Gray's Reef is within the winter calving grounds of these critically endangered whales. Less than 400 individuals remain. Photo: NOAA

Two pictures of pods of dolphins. The left picture looks at the dolphins from the top down while they swim near the surface. The right picture is of two dolphins showing their dorsal fin. — Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis)
Atlantic spotted dolphin are fast swimmers and often "surf" in the waves created by vessels. Photos: NOAA

A single dolphin jumps out of the water — Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
Bottlenose dolphins in the U.S. are not endangered or threatened, but they are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Photo: NOAA