Explore 80+ Fish That Start with T (Common Names)

Looking at the world around us, it is amazing how many wonders that can be found on land and in water. When we take a look at our oceans, it is astounding to see that some 33,000 species of fish exist. This number only continues to grow each year as more parts of our oceans are uniquely discovered. 

Now, it might be easy to visualize fish being categorized as the cute little fish we saw from Nemo or The Little Mermaid. However, “fish” is categorized to refer to lampreys, sharks, coelacanths, and ray-finned fishes.

Out of all these species, fish can be broken up into three groups: bony fish (Osteichthyes), jawless fish (Agnatha), and cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes).

It is estimated that there are 3.5 trillion fish among the 33,000 species of fish discovered. And, of course, this number only continues to grow as we discover parts of the oceans and seas that we have not yet found.

Within these 3.5 trillion fish, there are literally trillions of names between them. As we go through the alphabet, we have reached the letter “T,” and we think you will be shocked to see how many fish start with this letter alone. We have compiled a list of the top 80+ fish that start with the letter “T” and will dive into the largest one we have found.

Thornback Ray (Raja clavata)

This slick-looking fellow isn’t as smooth as other rays we may know. The thornback ray has spikes all over his skin and a large spine down his back. 

This carnivore will feast on crustaceans, small fish, and sand eels. Due to its spiky skin, the predators for this ray include seals and sharks. However,  overfishing is the biggest threat to its population. 

Toadfish (Batrachoididae)

This odd-looking fish, the toadfish, looks an awful lot like a toad looking at it straight on, with its wide face and broad body.

The toadfish weighs anywhere from 0.25-5 pounds and reaches lengths of 3-22 inches. His small stature and weight let him enjoy food like sea worms, crustaceans, mollusks, and other small fish. 

The population of these fish is unknown, and their predators are marine mammals, sea turtles, and other larger fish. 

Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

A very interesting and odd fact about this very common fish is that trout do not have scales for the first month of their life. 

The trout is a very common fish that the majority of us no doubt know of. These fish generally inhabit lakes across North America, Europe, and Asia. 

Trout fish weigh between 10-30 pounds and reach 1-2 feet long. They feast on crayfish, minnows, and insects. They have group behavior and belong to a school of fish. 

Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi)

The tetra fish is a very colorful little fish. They come in a variety of colors, such as red, blue, black, white, and silver. 

As beautiful as they are, they prefer eating algae as their favorite food. In addition, they also enjoy eating brine shrimp and plankton. Given their small size, often weighing 0.004 ounces, what they consume is understandable. 

Tang (Acanthuridae)

The tang fish joins the groups of thousands of other species of fish that are known for their beauty. This brightly colored fish comes in yellow, red, blue, black, white, orange, purple, silver, and black-brown colors. 

Tang fish live healthy long lives of 30 years. During the span of their lifetime, they enjoy eating plankton, algae, and sometimes meat. 

They have a pointed snout and a sharp scalpel at the bottom of their tale. This, coupled with their colors, helps distinguish them from other fish. 

Taimen (Hucho taimen)

The taimen fish is one of the oldest species on earth, with an estimation of being over 40 million years old.

This fish is a definite whopper, often growing to reach 80 inches (6.67 feet) and weighing 230 pounds. Easily larger than a full-size adult male!

Taimen fish prey on smaller fish such as grayling, huchen, lenok, barbel-gudgeon, vimba, and other small fish. Voles and muskrats have also been known to be included in the taimen fish diet as well.

A fun fact about the taimen fish is that they are high in fat and oils. They provide a great flavor when cooking. Your free tip of the day is that when cooking taimen fish, ensure you don’t overcook it. Too much heat can make the fish taste burnt, even if it doesn’t appear burnt. 

Thresher Shark (Alopias)

This solitary creature can be found in a variety of locations all around the world. They are particularly found to be outside of the Arctic waters due to it being too cold for them.  

The thresher shark is a large shark that grows to 20 feet long and weighs between 500-775 pounds. Their distinctive feature is their very long tail, which is used to stun and kill their prey. 

Sharks generally have few predators, given their predatory status in the ocean. Other sharks, however, have been known to kill sharks specifically in relation to sharks killing and eating juvenile sharks. 

Tiger Trout (Salmo trutta × Salvelinus fontinalis)

The tiger trout is rightly named due to the color of its scales because it imitates the appearance of a tiger. Giving off colors such as yellow, orange, and grey-brown. 

These territorial fish like to eat a variety of fish, but also including invertebrates, insects, and larvae. Because they are territorial, they are very aggressive and have a large appetite for anything that enters their territory. 

These fish are hybrids and cannot produce their own offspring. They can be found in the following states where they are bred:

• Indiana
• West Virginia
• Utah
• Wyoming
• Colorado
• Michigan
• Pennsylvania
• Washington State
• Minnesota
• New Jersey
• Ohio
• Nevada
• South Dakota
• Connecticut
• Montana
• Illinois
• Saskatchewan
• Canada
• New Zealand
• Australia
• United Kingdom

Tire Track Eel (Mastacembelus armatus)

This particular eel has 93 different species. In addition to the tire track eel, they have many other names such as the zig-zag eel, the tire-track spiny eel, or the marbled spiny eel.

They grow from 0.5 to 2.4 feet and reach 3-5 pounds. Their lifespan ranges from 8-18 years; during this time, as carnivores, they prey on worms, krill, and plankton. 

Their population size is estimated to be very large, which directly results in their capture and being used in the pet trade.

These trickly little guys are fast swimmers and have been known to actually grab food from the mouths of other animals in the ocean. 

Triggerfish (Balistidae)

These odd-looking fish are named triggerfish due to their ability to lock the spins of their fins together and suddenly unlock them, almost in a trigger-like effect. 

These fish are extremely colorful and come in various colors: brown, grey, yellow, red, blue, black, white, gold, green, orange, silver, olive, white-brown, black-brown, olive-grey, grey-brown, and light brown. 

While this fish is very territorial, and his aggression level is high, he is not venomous. In captivity, they can live up to 20 years. But, in the wild, on their own, they have an eight-year lifespan. 

The Largest Fish That Starts With the Letter “T” 

When looking at the top ten largest fish in the ocean the tiger shark is listed amongst them. They earn this status by weighing between 850-1,400 pounds and reaching lengths of 10-14 feet. The largest tiger shark ever recorded weighed 1,780 pounds and was 24.6 feet long. 

Tiger sharks are smooth-looking animals with gray skin and a white underbelly. Because of the color of their skin, they are easily able to camouflage themselves in the murky waters that they reside in. 

Due to their large size, they have a varied diet that consists of stingrays, sea turtles, fish, and squid. Sharks really do not have predators due to their size. The only cases of them being hunted and killed are typically by other sharks and then humans. In addition to these two predators, the killer whale is also known to kill and eat tiger sharks. 

Now that we have completed by looking at our top ten fish with the letter “T” and finding out the largest animal that starts with a “T,” we can now dive in to show the complete list of 80+ fish with their common and scientific names that start with just the letter “T.” 

Complete List of 80+ Fish That Start With the Letter “T” 

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Arunee Rodloy/Shutterstock.com