Species explorer · illustrative collection
Travel from mangrove margins to open water and meet 18 species that reveal how the Bay of Bengal’s habitats connect.
Reading the collection
These records connect animals to broad habitats, depth zones and animal groups. They are not a complete inventory of the Bay of Bengal, and seeing a species here does not imply it could be kept at Tidehouse.
Conservation labels follow broad IUCN Red List categories for orientation. Status can change and regional populations may face pressures that a global category does not fully describe.
Shape your dive
Choose one or more characteristics. Results match every active filter group.
18 species shown
Field guide
Clear the filters and begin with a habitat or animal group.
Open ocean · surface to 1,900 m
VulnerableRhincodon typus
The world’s largest fish follows blooms of plankton and small schooling prey, filtering water through broad gill plates.
Coast & reef · surface to 40 m
EndangeredChelonia mydas
Adults graze seagrass and algae, linking feeding grounds to nesting beaches across long migrations.
Estuary & coast · surface
EndangeredOrcaella brevirostris
A round-headed dolphin associated with shallow coastal, estuarine and river-influenced water.
Open ocean & reef · surface to 1,000 m
VulnerableMobula birostris
Broad fins carry this filter-feeding ray between productive offshore waters and seasonal aggregation sites.
Reef & coast · surface to 80 m
Critically EndangeredEretmochelys imbricata
A narrow beak helps this turtle forage in reef crevices, where it can influence sponge communities.
Coastal seafloor · 5 to 60 m
Critically EndangeredRhinobatos annandalei
This flattened ray-like fish spends much of its time close to sand and mud, where camouflage matters.
Coast & estuary · surface to 50 m
Data DeficientMegalops cyprinoides
A reflective, air-breathing fish able to use oxygen-poor lagoons and estuaries as nursery habitat.
Reef & open water · 5 to 100 m
VulnerableEpinephelus lanceolatus
A massive reef predator whose long life and slow maturation make healthy adult populations hard to replace.
Seagrass & reef · 1 to 25 m
VulnerableHippocampus kuda
A slow-moving fish that anchors to seagrass, algae and branching habitat with a prehensile tail.
Mangrove margin · intertidal
Least ConcernPeriophthalmodon schlosseri
At home between water and air, mudskippers use strong fins to cross exposed sediment as the tide retreats.
Coastal seafloor · intertidal to 40 m
VulnerableTachypleus tridentatus
An ancient marine arthropod that depends on linked feeding grounds and undisturbed sandy spawning shores.
Coast & open water · surface to 200 m
Not EvaluatedAurelia species complex
Slow pulses keep this translucent drifter moving while currents do most of the travelling.
Reef seafloor · 1 to 30 m
Least ConcernTaeniura lymma
Electric-blue spots break up the outline of this small ray as it searches sandy reef margins for prey.
Reef · 1 to 15 m
Least ConcernAmphiprion clarkii
A protective mucus layer allows this fish to shelter among stinging anemone tentacles in a close partnership.
Reef & coast · 1 to 100 m
Not EvaluatedOctopus cyanea
Skin cells shift colour and texture within moments, supporting camouflage, display and hunting.
Reef · 1 to 100 m
Least ConcernSepia latimanus
Rippling fins and rapidly changing skin patterns let this cephalopod signal, stalk prey and disappear.
Mangrove & reef · 1 to 100 m
Least ConcernLutjanus argentimaculatus
Young fish use sheltered estuaries and mangroves before many move toward deeper reef habitat as adults.
Surface water · microscopic
Not EvaluatedDinoflagellate group
Some single-celled plankton flash blue when water moves around them, turning disturbance into a brief signal.
From recognition to care
Following one animal soon reveals a network of feeding grounds, nursery habitat, migration corridors and human choices. Explore how the fictional Tidehouse field framework would make those connections visible without presenting imagined activity as real conservation work.