Any man made structure, purposely or unintentionally sunk, that promotes marine life. These are generally in areas that lack natural reefs or have had significant loss to the existing reef.

An aquatic mollusk that has a compressed body enclosed within a hinged shell, such as oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops.

An active predatory mollusk of the large class Cephalopoda, such as an octopus or squid.

Translated to “head foot” in Greek.

A tropical marine mollusk with a spiral shell that may bear long projections and have a flared lip.

The eating habit of some marine life to form a symbiotic relationship with another species where the cleaner removes and eats parasites and other organic matter from the client.

An arthropod of the large, mainly aquatic group Crustacea, such as a crab, lobster, shrimp, or barnacle.

A swimming marine mollusk that resembles a broad squid, having eight arms and two long tentacles that are used for grabbing prey. Its internal skeleton is cuttlebone, which it uses for adjusting buoyancy.

A marine invertebrate of the phylum Echinodermata, such as a starfish, sea urchin, or sea cucumber.

Translated to “spiny skin” in Greek.

Eating habit very similar to planktivore, where the animal filters plankton and other nutrients from the water.

A small and often colorful mollusk found in tropical waters. Soft body and hard external shell.

An eating habit where the animal can eat both plant and animal matter. The term foraging implies that the animal does not have specific prey, but rather a wide range it is willing and able to consume.

An eating habit where the animal eats the proteins and matter of another animal to survive. The term foraging implies that the animal does not have specific prey, but rather a wide range it is willing and able to consume.

Any member of more than 65,000 animal species belonging to the class Gastropoda, the largest group in the phylum Mollusca. The class is made up of the snails, which have a shell into which the animal can generally withdraw, and the slugs, which are snails whose shells have been reduced to an internal fragment or completely lost in the course of evolution.

**Britannica Definition

An animal that feeds on plants.

A non-native animal introduced into a location where it causes harm to the new environment. Capable of causing extinction level events to native plants and animals.

An animal lacking a backbone, such as an arthropod, mollusk, annelid, coelenterate, etc. The invertebrates constitute an artificial division of the animal kingdom, comprising 95 percent of animal species and about 30 different phyla.

A type of crustacean that often acts as a parasite by attaching to some types of fish. About 10,000 species of isopods exist on earth and over half are in the ocean.

A predatory marine crustacean with a pair of large spined front legs that resemble those of a mantis and are used for capturing prey.

A vertebrate animal that has the same characteristics of a typical mammal: fur or hair at some point in life cycle, breathe air through lungs, and produce milk for offspring, but lives in or near the ocean.

A reptile that has adapted to life in or near the ocean. Scaly skin, requires breathing through lungs, lays eggs, and body temperature regulated by external conditions.

Any type of worm that lives an aquatic life; many different classifications exist.

An invertebrate of a large phylum which includes snails, slugs, mussels, and octopuses. They have a soft unsegmented body and live in aquatic or damp habitats, and most kinds have an external calcareous shell.

A fish or other animal that carries the eggs in its mouth and/or sometimes young offspring in order to protect them.

A shell-less marine mollusk of the order Nudibranchia ; a sea slug.

Translated to “naked gills” in Latin.

An animal or person that eats food of both plant and animal origin.

Refers to being in a position in the ocean with no visible reef, sand, or other bottom. The “Big Blue”.

An eating habit where the organism feeds solely on plankton.

An animal that naturally preys on others.

A ridge of jagged rock, coral, or sand just above or below the surface of the sea.

A bird that frequents the sea or coast.

An animal that feeds on carrion, dead plant material, or refuse.

Refers to an underwater environment where the ocean bottom drops in depth dramatically. The “wall” that is formed has a vertical reef-like environment on one side and open water on the other.