Marine Life & Conservation
Red Sea endemic fish: species you won't see anywhere else
The Red Sea is one of the richest places on Earth for fish found nowhere else. A 2016 review in the Journal of Biogeography counted 1,071 shallow-water fish species, about 12.9% of them endemic to the Red Sea — 14.1% if the Gulf of Aden is included. Familiar regional fish include the Red Sea anemonefish, masked butterflyfish and Red Sea bannerfish, but not every fish with a Red Sea common name is confined to the Red Sea.
By 71 Guardians · Published 29 Oct 2026
How many Red Sea fish are endemic?
DiBattista and colleagues reviewed records of shallow reef fauna and found 1,071 fish species, 12.9% endemic to the Red Sea and 14.1% to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden together. Endemism is also high in other groups — 16.5% of sea squirts, for example — while the review found 19 endemic species among 346 stony corals (5.5%), including species with and without symbiotic algae.
Why does the Red Sea have so many endemics?
The Red Sea connects to the Indian Ocean only through the narrow, shallow Bab el-Mandeb strait, and its water is warmer and saltier than the open ocean. A companion paper in the same journal concludes that the endemism has multiple origins rather than one single cause.
Which endemic fish are easy to spot?
- Red Sea anemonefish (two-banded anemonefish), defending its anemone.
- Masked butterflyfish, bright yellow with a blue-grey mask, often in pairs.
- Red Sea bannerfish, with its long white dorsal fin.
Where can you see them near Hurghada?
Most are shallow-reef fish, so snorkelers see them as easily as divers — on our Boat Trips around Giftun and Abu Ramada or on any Daily Diving day.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of Red Sea fish are endemic?
About 12.9% of 1,071 shallow-water species, according to the 2016 review.
Is the clownfish in the Red Sea a Nemo?
It's a different species — the two-banded anemonefish, Amphiprion bicinctus. FishBase records it beyond the Red Sea, including the Chagos Archipelago; 'Red Sea' in a common name does not prove strict endemism.
Are Red Sea corals endemic too?
A few: 19 of 346 stony coral species (5.5%) in the review, which includes species with and without symbiotic algae.
Questions before you dive with us?
Message our team on WhatsApp — we're divers in Hurghada and happy to help.
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