Animals in Indian

Below you can find a complete list of Indian Ocean animals. We currently track 92 animals in Indian and are adding more every day!

The Indian Ocean is rich in animal life, and many of its animals also travel to the Pacific Ocean and the Red Sea. Among the 70,000 animal species to be found in the Indian Ocean are dugongs, starfish, squid, octopus, and saltwater clams. A great variety of fish, blue whales, common dolphins, and sperm whales are also seen as are different types of sharks including the gray reef shark and the white cheek lantern shark.

The Two National Animals Of The Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean appears to have two national animals. The National Aquatic Animal of India is the Ganges River dolphin, while the national animal of British Indian Ocean Territory, or BIOT is the striated heron. BIOT is owned by the United Kingdom and is found at the halfway point between Tanzania and Indonesia.

The Ganges River Dolphin doesn’t technically live in the Indian Ocean, for it can only live in freshwater. Its conservation status is endangered, and there are only 1200 to 1800 dolphins left in the wild.

The Ganges River dolphin used to range over an extensive river system in the Indian subcontinent but is now extinct in much of its original range. Though to be extinct often means that the animal no longer exists, animals can also be said to be extinct in their original habitat.

The striated heron is a small species of heron that lives among mudflats and mangrove forests of the BIOT. The top of its head and back are black, and it has a gray breast.

Where to Find The Top Wild Animals In The Indian Ocean

The stonefish is found in the coastal waters of the Ocean, while reef sharks are, as their name implies, found around the coral reefs in shallow waters. Sperm whales prefer deeper waters and are indeed one of the deepest diving animals on earth.

The Most Dangerous Animals In The Indian Ocean

Though not considered extremely dangerous, reef sharks in the Indian Ocean have been known to attack humans. However, the stonefish is much more dangerous with its arsenal of venomous spines.

Endangered Animals

Some Indian Ocean animals are endangered due to pollution, overhunting, or habitat destruction. They include:

Indian Ocean Animals

African Penguin

The only penguin species in Africa!

Albacore Tuna

The albacore is a very fast swimmer

Aldabra Giant Tortoise

One got to be 255 years old!

Anchovies

November 12th is celebrated as National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day

Angelfish

There are 70 different species!

Barnacle

Closely related to crabs and lobsters!

Barracuda

Can grow to nearly 2 meters long!

Barramundi Fish

Scale rings indicate age

Bird

Not all birds are able to fly!

Black Marlin

Every black marlin is born as a female.

Blue Whale

The largest animal on Earth

Bluefin Tuna

The bluefin is one of the largest fish in the world

Bonito Fish

May eat squid or other small invertebrate ocean life

Bottlenose Dolphin

Stays in groups from 15 to 2,000 in number!'

Bull Shark

Unpredictable and aggressive temperament!

Butterfly Fish

There are more than 100 different species!

Chimaera

Also called ghost shark

Clownfish

Also known as the anemonefish!

Coral

Thought to be around 70,000 different species!

Crab

There are 93 different crab groups

Cuttlefish

Found throughout the world's oceans!

Dolphin

Can reach speeds of up to 25 mph!

Drum Fish

The drum fish makes a croaking sound with its swimming bladder!

Dugong

Closely related to the Manatee!

Dusky Dolphin

Communicates using whistles, squeaks and clicks!

Eel

Eels can be a mere few inches long to 13 feet!

False Killer Whale

The false killer whale looks like a cross between a dolphin and orca!

Fangtooth

Has the largest teeth compared to body size of any known fish

Fin Whale

Found throughout ocean waters worldwide!

Fish

Respire through the gills on their heads!

Fly

There are more than 240,000 different species!

Frigatebird

Found inhabiting tropical islands and coasts!

Giant Clam

Can reach nearly 4ft in length!

Great White Shark

Can grow to more than 8 meters long!

Grey Reef Shark

One of the most common shark species!

Hagfish

Can use slim to suffocate marine predators or escape capture

Hammerhead Shark

Found in coastal waters around the world!

Hermit Crab

There are over 500 different species!

Herring

People enjoy the taste of the oily fish in many different ways including pickled, smoked, salted, dried and fermented.

Horseshoe Crab

Changed little in over 500 million years!

Humpback Whale

There are thought to be 80,000 left in the wild!

Immortal Jellyfish

Excellent hitchhiker on long-trip cargo ships

Indian Palm Squirrel

Natively found in parts of India and Sri Lanka!

Insects

There are an estimated 30 million species!

Jellyfish

Have tentacles around their mouths!

Killer Whale

Typically consumes over 200 kg of food a day!

King Crab

Can have a leg span of nearly 2 meters!

Krill

The krill is perhaps the most important animal in the marine ecosystem!

Lionfish

Females can release up to 15,000 eggs at a time!

Little Penguin

The smallest species of penguin!

Lobster

Have been known to reach 100 years old!

Manta Ray

Can grow up to 9m wide!

Milkfish

Females lay up to 5 million eggs at one time in warm, shallow and salty waters

Moray Eel

Can grow to nearly 2 meters in length!

Octopus

There are around 300 different species!

Oyster

Can process up to 10 litres of water an hour!

Penguin

Spends 75% of it's time hunting for food!

Prawn

Closely related to crabs and lobsters!

Pufferfish

The second most poisonous creature in the world!

Rockhopper Penguin

There are 3 different species!

Sardines

Schools of sardines can be miles long and are often visible from an airplane

Sawfish

Sawfish teeth keep growing as the fish gets older

Scorpion Fish

There are more than 200 recognised species!

Sea Lion

It's flippers allow it to walk on the land

Sea Slug

All sea slugs have both male and female sex organs

Sea Squirt

There are more than 3,000 known species!

Sea Turtle

Always return to the same beach to lay eggs!

Sea Urchin

Can live for up to 200 years!

Seahorse

Males give birth to up to 1,000 offspring!

Seal

There are 30 different species worldwide!

Shark

No shark species has any bones in their bodies

Shrimp

There are 2,000 different species worldwide!

Skipjack Tuna

The skipjack is the most commonly caught tuna in the world

Snail

There are nearly 1,000 different species!

Sperm Whale

Each tooth weighs 1kg!

Spiny Dogfish

Found in ocean waters worldwide!

Sponge

There are more than 9,000 known species!

Squid

Some species are known to have 10 arms!

Starfish

Has 2 stomachs to aid digestion!

Stingray

It's stinger is razor-sharp or serrated!

Sturgeon

Large species can swallow whole salmon

Tang

Found around shallow coral reefs!

Tarpon

Its genus dates back to the Cretaceous period – 113 million years ago

Tiger Shark

The fourth biggest species of shark in the world!

Toadfish

Can be heard out of water

Tropicbird

Nests on tropical islands and cliffs!

Tuna

The tuna has a sleek body that enables it to swim quickly through the water

Wandering Albatross

Featured in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”

Whale Shark

The largest species of fish in the world!

Wrasse

There are more than 500 different species!

Yellowfin Tuna

The yellowfin forms schools with other tuna species

Zebra Shark

Can get to be 30 years old in the wild!

Indian Ocean Animals List