Fish
Tropical Open Ocean

Class Chondrichthyes: Sharks & Rays

Order Orectolobiformes: Carpet Sharks, including 'Wobbegongs'

Family Ginglymostomatidae

Nebrius ferrugineus, 'Tawny Nurse Shark'.

Family Rhincodontidae

This family only contains one living species...

Rhincodon typus, 'Whale Shark'. The biggest fish on the planet.

Despite their intimidating size, these sharks do not eat people, but mainly feed on plankton. To filter feed through the water, Whale Sharks have their mouth at the front of their head, unlike most other sharks that have the mouth underneath the head.

Whale Shark being fed by humans from a fishing platform, in West Papua. They are found in open oceans throughout the tropics and sub-tropics. They have been recorded as far south as Victoria (Australia), but like most sensible humans do not live permanently down there. 

Class Osteichthyes: Bony Fish

Order Tetraodontiformes

This group contains various families of mostly unusually shaped fish such as Boxfish, Pufferfish and Sunfish.

Mola spp.,'Sunfish'

There are three species of Sunfish. They look like giant heads with tails, and often bask sideways at the surface of the ocean. They are the heaviest bony fish in the world. The most widespread is the Mola Mola 'Sunfish' found in tropical and temperate oceans around the world. Mola alexandrini, 'Southern Ocean Sunfish', 'Bump-head Sunfish' is found around south-west Pacific.

Order Beloniformes

Family Exocoetidae: 'Flying Fish'

Note...

The following species of flying fish I have given some common names based on the survey book 'The amazing world of Flying Fish' and matching up with scientific names from website: "Fishes of Australia". However, taxonomy on flying fish is unresolved and there are no field guides as such, so take all of these names with a BUCKET LOAD OF SEA SALT - they are just guesses! 

Cheilopogon ?abei sp,.'Yellowband Flying Fish'.

Cheilopogon ?atrisignis, 'Greater Spotted Flying Fish',  'Freckled Pinkwing'

Cypselurus (?) poecilopterus, 'Leopardwing', 'Yellow-wing'

? 'Pink-winged Apache'

? 'Black-eyed Pinkwing'

? 'Rosy-veined Clear-wing'

? 'Solomon Cerulean Flying Fish'.

? 'Pink-tailed Clearwing'

? 'Blue Bandwing'

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