Birds
American flamingo
Phoenicopterus ruber
The American flamingo is the brightest pink flamingo, a filter feeder of Caribbean lagoons. Facts on its size, color, diet, mud nests, range and lifespan.
Diet · 10 species
Filter Feeders
Animals that strain tiny food from water, from blue whales and whale sharks to flamingos, clams and corals.
Species profiles
Fish
Basking shark
Cetorhinus maximus
The basking shark is the second-largest fish, usually 7–8.5 m (23–28 ft) long. Facts on its plankton diet, migrations, summer sightings and Endangered status.
Mammals
Blue whale
Balaenoptera musculus
The blue whale is the largest animal known to have lived, up to about 30 m long. Facts on its size, krill diet, deep calls, calves, range and slow recovery.
Fish
Giant oceanic manta ray
Mobula birostris
The giant oceanic manta ray is the world's largest ray, up to about 7 m (23 ft) across. Its size, plankton diet, big brain, slow breeding and Endangered status.
Mammals
Gray whale
Eschrichtius robustus
The gray whale is a mottled North Pacific baleen whale that sucks prey from the seafloor and migrates between Arctic seas and Mexico. Size, diet and threats.
Birds
Greater flamingo
Phoenicopterus roseus
The greater flamingo is the largest and most widespread flamingo, found from Spain and France to Africa and India. Its size, diet, colonies and lifespan.
Mammals
Humpback whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
The humpback whale is a 14–17 m baleen whale famous for its long flippers, breaching, bubble nets and male song. Facts on size, diet, migration and recovery.
Mammals
North Atlantic right whale
Eubalaena glacialis
The North Atlantic right whale is a rare baleen whale of the western Atlantic with no dorsal fin. Its size, copepod diet, calving, threats and survival odds.
Other Invertebrates
Staghorn coral
Acropora cervicornis
Staghorn coral is a fast-growing, antler-shaped reef builder of Florida and the Caribbean. How it feeds, grows and spawns, and why it is Critically Endangered.
Fish
Whale shark
Rhincodon typus
The whale shark is the largest fish, recorded at about 18.8 m (62 ft). Facts on its spots, plankton diet, warm-sea range, gatherings and Endangered status.