Animal Guide - Kids Corner - The Georgia Aquarium

American alligator

The American alligator is found in the southeastern U. S. from North Carolina to Florida and westward to Texas and Oklahoma. It occurs in most freshwater habitats and occasionally will enter brackish water around mangrove swamps. View Fact Sheet

Arapaima

The arapaima is a tropical freshwater fish found in the Amazon and Essequibo river basins of South America. View Fact Sheet

Arawana

The arawana is a freshwater fish found in the Amazon River tributaries and floodplain lakes of northern South America. It is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. View Fact Sheet

Asian small-clawed otter

The Asian small-clawed otter dwells in the freshwater wetlands and mangrove swamps of Southeast Asia and is the smallest otter in the world. View Fact Sheet

Bluegill

The bluegill is a North American fresh water fish found in lakes, ponds and sluggish streams throughout much of the eastern and central U. S. and Canada, from Quebec to northern Mexico. It also occurs in low salinity portions of coastal estuaries. View Fact Sheet

Bowfin

Dogfish, mudfish, prairie bass, cypress bass, scaly cat, mudjack… What’s in a name? These monikers are used interchangeably for this fish, which also is considered a “living fossil." View Fact Sheet

Electric catfish

The electric catfish is found in the Nile River basin and Lake Chad in western and central tropical Africa. It inhabits freshwater lakes and rivers, among rocks and roots in murky waters. View Fact Sheet

Electric eel

The electric eel resides in the murky freshwater pools and streams of South America, preferring to dwell near the muddy bottom of calm waters. View Fact Sheet

Longnose gar

This fish is not a relative to Pinocchio, but it sure does have a long nose! Its long, slender beak is typically 18 to 20 times longer than its narrowest width and is filled with sharp teeth. View Fact Sheet

Pacu (or Tambaqui)

Does this large South American fish bear a resemblance to any fish that you know? It is actually the largest member of the piranha family. Don’t worry though, pacu don’t share the same feeding habits as their relatives. View Fact Sheet

Red piranha

The red piranha is a freshwater fish found most often in the basins of the Amazon, Paraguay-Parana and Essequibo Rivers. Georgia Aquarium's piranhas recently laid several eggs in their exhibit, which have begun to hatch! View Fact Sheet

Red-eared slider

The red-eared slider is a common freshwater turtle whose native range extends from the southern Great Lakes southward through Central America to Venezuela. The red-eared slider prefers quiet, soft, muddy-bottomed water bodies with rocks, logs or stumps suitable for basking in the sun. View Fact Sheet

Yellowbelly slider

The yellowbelly slider is a common freshwater turtle whose native range extends from the southern Great Lakes southward through Central America to Venezuela. The yellowbelly slider prefers quiet, soft, muddy-bottomed water bodies with rocks, logs or stumps suitable for basking in the sun. View Fact Sheet

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