The underwater world is inhabited by a huge number of animals, from the obvious and well known like clownfish to the less obvious (e.g. corals) or less-known animals (e.g. many species of snails). Some of them have remarkable characteristics and lead interesting lives. With these articles I try to introduce some of these marine creatures and to give you interesting facts about them. I leave out the well known animals like dolphins or turtles and take a closer look at the less-known animals for you.

Much research has been put into the preparation of these articles, because often little is known about these animals. This is especially true for the very well camouflaged and therefore often overlooked individuals. Some of them were described in the middle of the eighteenth century, some only a few years ago and new ones are constantly being discovered. The identification can often be frustrating, because many species are still undescribed and therefore do not have a proper name yet. Family affiliation can be suspected until DNA tests confirm or disprove it. An exciting world, which will still keep many secrets for a long time to come.