Fauna of the Sarasso Sea

The Sargasso Sea is a paradise for marine life. This sea has no coasts, so all its populations are pelagic, adapted to living far from the coast.

Fish of the Sargasso Sea

The aquatic life is represented by a long list of fish. These are: Flying fish, Sargassum fish (Histrio histrio), Syngnathus, Tuna, Cod, Herring, Atlantic horse mackerel, Micromesistius, Capelin, Atlantic saury. 

Rare fish of the Sargasso Sea

The European eel spawns in the Sargasso Sea and travels eight thousand kilometres across the Atlantic Ocean to spawn. The eel then dies and the larvae that emerge swim to Europe, where they are picked up by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.

Sargasso Sea invertebrates

Sargasso Sea is filled to the brim with marine invertebrates, including various species of worms, bryozoans and sea anemones. These in turn are eaten by fish and crabs. 

Amphibians of the Sargasso Sea

The Sargasso Sea is home to crabs, snails, cave shrimp and endemic worms. The volcanic sands are home to crustaceans. 

Reptiles of the Sargasso Sea

Thanks to the Gulf Stream, sea turtles of different species come here. The largest is the green turtle, with a body length of up to one metre. These are followed by the loggerhead and hawksbill turtles. 

Mammals of the Sargasso Sea

The Sargasso Sea is home to the humpback whale, family Rorqual.

Molluscs and crustaceans of the Sargasso Sea

It is home to several species of crabs, blue oysters, mussels and crayfish. The most famous inhabitants are the sargassum swimming crabs, which hide among the sargassum grass and feed on various organic waste and debris.

Predatory fish of the Sargasso Sea

Among the predatory fish that live in the Sargassum Sea are Sargassum fish, which hunts with the help of a special dorsal spur with a bait at the end. Mahi-mahi, a passionate fan of flying fish, is also no less popular here.

Sargasso Sea Sharks

Sharks also live in the Sargasso Sea, but only the pelagic species. These include the blue shark, silky shark, shortfin mako shark and oceanic whitetip shark.

Interesting facts about the inhabitants of the Sargasso Sea

To protect themselves from predators, sea creatures use a method of camouflage that boils down to matching their body colour to the colour of the seaweed. Seahorses, for example, are indistinguishable from seaweed. Their entire bodies are covered with small petals that look like sargassum leaves. They also sway in the current like seaweed, making it almost impossible to tell them apart from sargassum.