Written by Abigail Lathrop

Welcome to this Animal Crossing fish spotlight of our sea inhabiting fish! Let’s start off with one of the most famous predators of the sea. They get a whole week’s worth of television programming. Yes, that’s right, the Great White Shark!

Look out to sea for a large shape with a fin. You might get lucky! In our world, we find Great Whites in the coastal surface waters of all the major oceans.

Fun Fact! The lifespan of Great White Sharks is estimated to be as long as 70 years or more. Great White Sharks can swim at speeds of over 56 km/h (35 mph).

Appetite for the Great White not satisfied? Don’t worry, we have plenty more books on them and more to place on hold for pickup!

Another nifty shark to have in your tool belt is the hammerhead. Like its Great White cousin, it is also an evening dwelling creature that disappears between the hours of 9 and 4. At first glance, its shadow is identical to the Great White when present in the sea. In our world, hammerheads can be found in warm tropical waters, but during the summer, they participate in a mass migration to search for cooler waters.

Fun Fact! Unlike most sharks, some hammerhead species usually swim in schools during the day, becoming solitary hunters at night. They also give birth to live young.

Need to know more about hammerheads? Below are links to books and eContent in our collection!

The ribbon eel is next! Not advised for present wrapping. It is an easy creature to spot and know what you are getting, as its shape is narrow and long in the water. They are up all day, so you won’t have to keep track of the time to catch one.

Wonder where we find these on Earth? The ribbon eel is found in lagoons and reefs in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, ranging from East Africa to southern Japan, Australia, and French Polynesia.

Fun Fact! They are well known for their characteristic jaws that are frequently opened very widely when a diver approaches. I hope they are just saying hi!

Back to sharks! The whale shark is an incredible catch. Can you even see your character as they hold it? In our world, there’s no way for the whale shark to fit in our arms! To find one yourself, you would have to look in open waters of the tropical oceans, and they are rarely found in water below 70°F. They like it warm!

Fun Fact! It may come as no surprise, but the whale shark is the largest known extant fish species. But don’t worry, they feed almost exclusively on plankton and small fishes and pose no threat to humans.

Another handy fish is our sawfish, also known as carpenter sharks. Do you think hammerheads and sawfish get together and build things? Perhaps this is just how I imagine life under the sea.

Fun Fact! Old stories of sawfish attacking large prey such as whales and dolphins by cutting out pieces of flesh are now considered to be myths and not factual.

This concludes the June Sea Spotlight!

Need to know more about ocean life? Follow the links below to see just a few of the many items in our collection that highlight life under the sea.