Types of Fish: Complete Guide with Baby Fish Names

Every type of fish — freshwater, saltwater, sharks, and game fish — with baby names and facts.

🐟 What Is a Baby Fish Called?

Fry

Newly hatched fish — most common baby fish name

Fingerling

Fry that has grown to finger size (trout, bass)

Smolt

Salmon fry transitioning to saltwater life

Pup

Baby shark — born live, not from eggs

🏞️ Freshwater Fish

Guppy

Baby: Fry

Live-bearing — babies swim immediately, no eggs!

Goldfish

Baby: Fry

Can live 40+ years — babies are brown, not gold

Betta (Siamese Fighting Fish)

Baby: Fry

Males build bubble nests for eggs — babies are tiny as a pinhead

Angelfish

Baby: Fry

Parents guard eggs — both mom and dad protect babies

Neon Tetra

Baby: Fry

Most popular community tank fish — babies are transparent

Oscar Fish

Baby: Fry

Smart enough to recognize their owner

🌊 Saltwater Fish

Clownfish

Baby: Fry

All born male — dominant fish becomes female

Blue Tang

Baby: Fry

"Dory" fish — babies look nothing like adults

Lionfish

Baby: Fry

Invasive species — one female lays 2 million eggs per year

Seahorse

Baby: Fry

Dad gives birth — carries eggs in his pouch!

Pufferfish

Baby: Fry

Second most poisonous vertebrate on Earth

Moray Eel

Baby: Leptocephalus (larva)

Babies are transparent, flat, and look like ribbons

🎣 Game & Food Fish

Salmon

Baby: Fry → Smolt

Born in freshwater, grows at sea, returns to exact birth stream

Trout

Baby: Fry → Fingerling

Babies called "fingerling" when they reach finger size

Bass

Baby: Fry → Fingerling

Male guards the nest — fans eggs with his tail

Catfish

Baby: Fry → Fingerling

Some species carry eggs in their mouth until hatching

Tuna

Baby: Fry

Babies are microscopic — adults can weigh 1,500 lbs

🦈 Sharks & Rays

Great White Shark

Baby: Pup

Babies are 4-5 feet long at birth — already have teeth!

Hammerhead Shark

Baby: Pup

Born with a round head — hammer shape develops later

Whale Shark

Baby: Pup

Babies are 2 feet long — adults reach 40+ feet

Manta Ray

Baby: Pup

Born "rolled up" like a burrito — unfolds and swims immediately