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Zebra Fish
Zebras use their fleshy lips to grasp food and then move it into position for the cutting incisor teeth.Giant guitarfish
Giant guitarfish were previously thought to be wide-spread, but research has shown that this is probably the combined distribution of four related species. Giant guitarfish are now thought to occur only in the Red Sea and western Indian Ocean as far south as South Africa’s east coast.Elf
Elf, also known as shad along the South African coast, are found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. They can grow to 60cm in length and up to 14kg in weight.Amakusa jelly
Amakusa jellies are small, disc-shaped jellies of the Pelagiidae family - an abundant group of jellies that include the common compass jelly.
Upside down jelly
Upside down jellies are commonly found in mangrove ecosystems and can tolerate a wide salinity range. They grow up to 25cm in diameter and the saucer-shaped bell of the jelly acts as a suction cup to stabilise the animal on the seabed.Blue blubber jelly
Blue blubber jellies come in many colours, including brown, maroon, cyan and white. They are very energetic swimmers, so they require lots of food to keep them going.
Comb jelly
Comb jellies are not jellies at all, but their bodies are made up of a similar jelly substance.
Benguela compass jelly
The compass jelly is one of three species that are endemic to the South African coast.
Cape kurper
Cape kurpers live in southern and southwestern Cape coastal rivers, and were also introduced into the Clanwilliam Olifants River system.They eat insects, other invertebrates and small fish.This species is threatened by habitat destruction and predation by alien bass.Banded tilapia
Banded tilapia live in the Orange River, rivers on KwaZulu-Natal south coast, southern Congo tributaries, Lake Malawi and the Zambezi.They prefer quiet or standing water with submerged vegetation.Tilapia feed on algae, soft plants, invertebrates, e.g. insects and sometimes small fish.Males build saucer-like nests in which eggs are laid and guarded by both parents.Moggel
These fish live in summer rainfall areas in many of South Africa’s river systems, including the Orange-Vaal system, the Gourits, Gamtoos, Great Fish and Bushmans systems.They prefer standing or gently flowing water, and unlike many other indigenous fish, thrive in dams.In summer, they migrate upstream after rains, and spawn over flooded grassy river banks. Each female produces about 250 000 eggs, which hatch within 2 days. The larvae swim to the surface, and are lifted by the current and carried into deeper water, before the floodwaters subside altogether.Clanwilliam sawfin
The Clanwilliam sawfin lives only in deep pools in the Olifants River system in the Western Cape.Males and females gather together under waterfalls and rapids to breed.