Invasive Species of the Mediterranean
Warming waters and the Suez Canal have opened a corridor for tropical species to settle in the Mediterranean. Meet the newcomers reshaping the ecosystem.
These species β many of them Lessepsian migrants that entered through the Suez Canal β often lack natural predators here, and some compete directly with native fish for food and habitat. A few are edible and increasingly appear on local menus, which is itself part of managing their spread. Tap any card for the full species page.
π Invasive
The Atlantic Lizardfish, also widely known as the Lizardfish, is one of the most distinctive and strange fish in the Mediterranean,Β resembli...
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π Invasive
The European Barracuda is one of the most capable and rapid predators of regional seas. The body is elongated and cylindrical, like a torped...
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π Invasive
The Bluespotted Cornetfish, also widely known as the Cornetfish, Smooth Flutemouth, or Trumpetfish, is arguably the most successful and rapi...
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π Invasive
The Eastern Mosquitofish is a small fish of fresh and brackish water that originates from North America, specifically the eastern United Sta...
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π Invasive
The Flying Fish is a true marvel of natural engineering. It is the only fish capable of emerging from the water and performing actual flight...
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π Invasive
The Goldband Goatfish is a relatively new visitor to regional seas. It is a Lessepsian migrant, meaning it is a species that migrated into t...
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π Invasive
The Halfbeak is the fish that makes most people stop and ask what exactly they are holding. It looks like a Garfish with half its mouth miss...
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π Invasive
The Mediterranean Parrotfish is one of the most colourful, unique, and recognisable fish of the regional seas. It belongs to the Scaridae fa...
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π Invasive
The Narrow barred Spanish Mackerel, also widely known as the King Mackerel, the Narrow barred Mackerel, or the Kingfish, is one of the most...
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π Invasive
The Pearly Razorfish, also known as the Cleaver Wrasse or Razorfish, is one of the most unusual and fascinating fish in coastal waters. It b...
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π Invasive
The Rabbitfish is one of the most well-known Lessepsian migrants that entered the Mediterranean from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal. The bod...
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π Invasive
The Redcoat, often referred to as a Squirrelfish or Soldierfish, is a visually striking fish with a vibrant red colour. It is a Lessepsian m...
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π Invasive
The Redeye Round Herring, also known as the Golani Round Herring or the Maray, is a small pelagic fish that is one of the most successful Le...
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π Invasive
The Sand Smelt is one of the most well-known small fish in the Mediterranean and features a slender, elongated, and partially transparent bo...
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π Invasive
The Silver-cheeked Toadfish is one of the most dangerous invasive species in the Mediterranean. It belongs to the family Tetraodontidae, com...
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π Invasive
The Suez Whiting is one of those fish people catch from the shore and are left holding a question. It looks like nothing familiar, it has no...
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π Invasive
The South European Toothcarp is a small, endemic fish of the Mediterranean Sea belonging to the family Cyprinodontidae. Its most prominent f...
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π Invasive
The Vanikoro Sweeper, commonly referred to simply as the Sweeper, is a small and strange fish that has flooded the shallow, rocky coasts of...
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