Yes. Sharks and rays are cartilaginous fish — their skeletons are made of cartilage rather than bone — and they sit in this generator alongside the bony fish that make up most species.

How do I get only sea animals?

Use the ocean filter. It restricts results to marine species and widens the pool beyond fish to include octopuses, crabs, jellyfish, sea stars and marine mammals.

Random Fish Generator

Reef fish, sharks, rays and river species — with photos and facts.

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Common

Fishomnivore

Goldfish

Carassius auratus

The carassin, also known as the goldfish, is a small freshwater fish often kept in home aquariums. It belongs to the carp family and thrives in calm waters. While beloved as a pet, it can cause problems when released into wild lakes and rivers.

Belongs to the Cyprinidae family, which includes carp and minnows.
Feral populations have spread as invasive species in North America and Australia.
One of the most widespread aquarium fish worldwide.

FreshwaterUrbanAsiaNorth AmericaAustralia

About this fish generator

This random fish generator covers both bony fish and the cartilaginous ones — sharks and rays — with a photograph, scientific name and three facts for each. Spin it for reef species, river fish, open-ocean hunters and the occasional deep-water oddity.

Fish are the largest and strangest vertebrate group by a wide margin, and it shows: the pool here runs from anchovies to hammerheads. If you specifically want sea creatures rather than freshwater ones, the ocean filter narrows it to marine species, including molluscs and crustaceans.

Useful for aquarists browsing species, anglers testing their knowledge, and anyone who needs a fish to draw.

What people use it for

Rated 5 out of 5
I put this on the board every Monday and the class has to write six sentences about whatever animal comes up. The photo does most of the work — they argue about it before I have finished reading the name out.
Maya Ellison
Year 4 teacher
Rated 5 out of 5
I use the ocean filter to stock a coastline in about thirty seconds. Getting the conservation status and the habitat alongside the name means I can describe the thing properly instead of inventing details.
Daniel Weiss
Tabletop game master
Rated 5 out of 5
Daily drawing prompts. Most animal randomisers just give you a word, which is useless when you need reference — here I get a photograph I can actually work from, and it keeps handing me species I would never have picked.
Priya Raman
Illustrator
Rated 5 out of 5
The bird generator is my flashcard deck now. I cover the name, look at the photo and try to call it before scrolling. Two hundred-odd species is enough that it stays hard.
Tomas Lindqvist
Birder
Rated 5 out of 5
My six-year-old asks for "one more animal" about forty times a night. The facts are short enough that she remembers them and repeats them at dinner, which was not something I expected from a random button.
Elise Moreau
Parent