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Cairns & Great Barrier Reef Marine Life & Wildlife Guide

Wildlife · Destination Guide

Cairns & Great Barrier Reef

Tropical gateway to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, minke whales, and rainforest-to-reef adventures

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Wildlife In Cairns & Great Barrier Reef

Browse the full species list linked to approved dive spots in Cairns & Great Barrier Reef.

Green sea turtle ( Chelonia mydas ), Moorea, French Polynesia

Green Turtle

Chelonia mydas

16 linked spots

Photo of Whitetip Reef Shark

Whitetip Reef Shark

Triaenodon obesus

14 linked spots

Photo of Nudibranch

Nudibranch

13 linked spots

a fish swimming in water

saltwater-fishes

Parrotfish

12 linked spots

a fish that is swimming in some water

saltwater-fishes

Angelfish

11 linked spots

a fish that is swimming in the water

saltwater-fishes

Barracuda

11 linked spots

orange and white clown fish

saltwater-fishes

Clownfish

10 linked spots

A fish that is sitting in the sand

saltwater-fishes

Butterfly Fish

9 linked spots

Photo of Grouper/Basslets

saltwater-fishes

Grouper/Basslets

8 linked spots

gray snake photography

saltwater-fishes

Moray Eel

8 linked spots

green and black fish in body of water

Stingrays

7 linked spots

a blue and white fish in an aquarium

saltwater-fishes

Triggerfish

7 linked spots

brown octopus swimming under the sea

Cuttlefish

6 linked spots

Red lionfish (Pterois volitans) near Gilli Banta Island (near Komodo, Indonesia)

saltwater-fishes

Lionfish

6 linked spots

Photo of Reef Manta Ray

Reef Manta Ray

Mobula alfredi

6 linked spots

Gestreifter Adlerrochen ( Pteromylaeus bovinus )

Eagle Ray

5 linked spots

brown turtle in sea

Hawksbill Turtle

Eretmochelys imbricata

5 linked spots

Photo of Sweetlips and Grunts

saltwater-fishes

Sweetlips and Grunts

5 linked spots

Photo of Wrasse

saltwater-fishes

Wrasse

5 linked spots

A blacktip reef shark swims over sandy seabed.

Blacktip Reef Shark

Carcharhinus melanopterus

4 linked spots

Photo of Pipefish

seahorses-and-pipefishes

Pipefish

4 linked spots

Photo of Snapper

saltwater-fishes

Snapper

4 linked spots

Photo of Surgeonfish

saltwater-fishes

Surgeonfish

Acanthuridae

4 linked spots

Photo of Tuna

saltwater-fishes

Tuna

4 linked spots

a blue and yellow fish on a coral reef

saltwater-fishes

Damselfish

3 linked spots

Grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) Image ID: corl0207, NOAA's Coral Kingdom Collection Location: Pacific Remote Islands, Kingman Reef Photo Date: 2015 Photographer: Kevin Lino NOAA/NMFS/PIFSC/ESD

Grey Reef Shark

Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos

3 linked spots

Photo of Jackfish

saltwater-fishes

Jackfish

3 linked spots

Photo of Octopus

Octopus

3 linked spots

a yellow and black spotted fish in an aquarium

saltwater-fishes

Boxfish

Ostraciidae (family)

2 linked spots

white shark under blue sky

Great Hammerhead Shark

Sphyrna mokarran

2 linked spots

Photo of Pufferfish

saltwater-fishes

Pufferfish

Tetraodontidae

2 linked spots

Photo of Scorpionfish

saltwater-fishes

Scorpionfish

Scorpaenidae

2 linked spots

Photo of Shrimp

Shrimp

2 linked spots

a whale swimming in the ocean with a lot of fish around it

Whale Shark

Rhincodon typus

2 linked spots

Photo of Bass

freshwater-fishes

Bass

1 linked spots

crab on rock

Crab

1 linked spots

Photo of Emperor

saltwater-fishes

Emperor

1 linked spots

Photo of Giant Oceanic Manta Ray

Giant Oceanic Manta Ray

Mobula birostris

1 linked spots

Photo of Guitarfish

Guitarfish

1 linked spots

Photo of Leaf Scorpionfish

saltwater-fishes

Leaf Scorpionfish

Taenianotus triacanthus

1 linked spots

Photo of Loggerhead Turtle

Loggerhead Turtle

Caretta caretta

1 linked spots

gray shark in body of water

Nurse Shark

Ginglymostoma cirratum

1 linked spots

Photo of Seal

Seal

1 linked spots

Photo of Silvertip Shark

Silvertip Shark

Carcharhinus albimarginatus

1 linked spots

Photo of Tiger Shark

Tiger Shark

Galeocerdo cuvier

1 linked spots

Photo of Trumpetfish

saltwater-fishes

Trumpetfish

1 linked spots

Photo of Wobbegong

Wobbegong

1 linked spots