Flora and Fauna of Mannahatta
The flora and fauna list of native plants and vertebrate animals possibly found on Mannahatta in September 1609 is based on analysis of historical records, species lists and habitat relationships. Notes on methods and sources can be found in Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City (Abrams 2009).
Species are organized by family and by likelihood that the species might have been found either on the island or within one-thousand meters of the shore. Click on the scientific name to learn more about the ecology of the species.
Key to Likelihood: **** = likely; *** = probable; ** = possible; ° = remotely possible
| Family Name |  |
Common Name | |
Scientific Name | |
Likelihood |
| Acipenseridae | Atlantic Sturgeon | Acipenser oxyrinchus | **** | |||
| Shortnose Sturgeon | Acipenser brevirostrum | *** | ||||
| Albulidae | Bonefish | Albula vulpes | ° | |||
| Ammodytidae | American Sand Lance | Ammodytes americanus | **** | |||
| Anguillidae | American Eel | Anguilla rostrata | **** | |||
| Atherinidae | Rough Silverside | Membras martinica | **** | |||
| Inland Silverside | Menidia beryllina | **** | ||||
| Atlantic Silverside | Menidia menidia | **** | ||||
| Balistidae | Planehead Filefish | Stephanolepis hispidus | ** | |||
| Orange Filefish | Aluterus schoepfii | ° | ||||
| Batrachoididae | Oyster Toadfish | Opsanus tau | **** | |||
| Belonidae | Atlantic Needlefish | Strongylura marina | **** | |||
| Houndfish | Tylosurus crocodilus | ° | ||||
| Blenniidae | Feather Blenny | Hypsoblennius hentz | *** | |||
| Bothidae | Fourspot Flounder | Hippoglossina oblonga | **** | |||
| Summer Flounder | Paralichthys dentatus | **** | ||||
| Windowpane | Scophthalmus aquosus | **** | ||||
| Gulf Stream Flounder | Citharichthys arctifrons | ° | ||||
| Smallmouth Flounder | Etropus microstomus | ° | ||||
| Carangidae | Crevalle Jack | Caranx hippos | **** | |||
| Atlantic Moonfish | Selene setapinnis | *** | ||||
| Lookdown | Selene vomer | *** | ||||
| Permit | Trachinotus falcatus | ** | ||||
| Carcharhinidae | Bull Shark | Carcharhinus leucas | *** | |||
| Smooth Dogfish | Mustelus canis | *** | ||||
| Dusky Shark | Carcharhinus obscurus | ** | ||||
| Sandbar Shark | Carcharhinus plumbeus | ** | ||||
| Catostomidae | White Sucker | Catostomus commersonii | **** | |||
| Creek Chubsucker | Erimyzon oblongus | **** | ||||
| Shorthead Redhorse | Moxostoma macrolepidotum | ** | ||||
| Centrarchidae | Red-breast Sunfish | Lepomis auritus | **** | |||
| Pumpkinseed | Lepomis gibbosus | **** | ||||
| Bluespotted Sunfish | Enneacanthus gloriosus | *** | ||||
| Banded Sunfish | Enneacanthus obesus | ° | ||||
| Chaetodontidae | Foureye Butterflyfish or Butterbun | Chaetodon capristratus | ° | |||
| Spotfin Butterflyfish | Chaetodon ocellatus | ° | ||||
| Clupeidae | Hickory Shad | Alosa mediocris | **** | |||
| Alewife | Alosa pseudoharengus | **** | ||||
| American Shad | Alosa sapidissima | **** | ||||
| Atlantic Menhaden | Brevoortia tyrannus | **** | ||||
| Atlantic Herring | Clupea harengus | **** | ||||
| Round Herring | Etrumeus teres | **** | ||||
| Blueback Herring | Alosa aestivalis | *** | ||||
| Congridae | Conger Eel or American Conger | Conger oceanicus | **** | |||
| Cottidae | Slimy Sculpin | Cottus cognatus | **** | |||
| Sea Raven | Hemitripterus americanus | **** | ||||
| Grubby | Myoxocephalus aenaeus | **** | ||||
| Longhorn Sculpin | Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus | **** | ||||
| Cyclopteridae | Lumpfish | Cyclopterus lumpus | ° | |||
| Atlantic Seasnail | Liparis atlanticus | ° | ||||
| Cyprinidae | Golden Shiner | Notemigonus crysoleucas | **** | |||
| Eastern Blacknose Dace | Rhinichthys atratulus | **** | ||||
| Satinfin Shiner | Notropis analostanus | *** | ||||
| Bridle Shiner | Notropis bifrenatus | *** | ||||
| Spottail Shiner | Notropis hudsonius | *** | ||||
| Cutlips Minnow | Exoglossum maxillingua | ** | ||||
| Eastern Silvery Minnow | Hybognathus regius | ** | ||||
| Common Shiner | Luxilus cornutus | ** | ||||
| Longnose Dace | Rhinichthys cataractae | ** | ||||
| Creek Chub | Semotilus atromaculatus | ** | ||||
| Comely Shiner | Notropis amoenus | ° | ||||
| Bluntnose Minnow | Pimephales notatus | ° | ||||
| Cyprinodontidae | Mummichog | Fundulus heteroclitus | **** | |||
| Spotfin Killifish | Fundulus luciae | **** | ||||
| Dactylopteridae | Flying Gurnard | Dactylopterus volitans | *** | |||
| Echeneidae | Sharksucker | Echeneis naucrates | *** | |||
| Elopidae | Ladyfish | Elops saurus | ° | |||
| Tarpon | Megalops atlanticus | ° | ||||
| Engraulidae | Striped Anchovy | Anchoa hepsetus | **** | |||
| Bay Anchovy | Anchoa mitchilli | **** | ||||
| Ephippidae | Atlantic Spadefish | Chaetodipterus faber | ° | |||
| Esocidae | Redfin Pickerel | Esox americanus | **** | |||
| Chain Pickerel | Esox niger | **** | ||||
| Northern Pike | Esox lucius | ° | ||||
| Fistulariidae | Bluespotted Cornetfish | Fistularia tabacaria | ° | |||
| Fundulidae | Banded Killifish | Fundulus diaphanus | **** | |||
| Striped Killifish | Fundulus majalis | *** | ||||
| Gadidae | Atlantic Cod | Gadus morhua | **** | |||
| Atlantic Tomcod | Microgadus tomcod | **** | ||||
| Red Hake | Urophycis chuss | **** | ||||
| Spotted Hake | Urophycis regia | **** | ||||
| Pollack | Pollachius virens | *** | ||||
| Fourbeard Rockling | Enchelyopus cimbrius | ** | ||||
| Silver Hake | Merluccius bilinearis | ** | ||||
| White Hake | Urophycis tenuis | ° | ||||
| Gasterosteidae | Fourspine Stickleback | Apeltes quadracus | **** | |||
| Threespine Stickleback | Gasterosteus aculeatus | **** | ||||
| Ninespine Stickleback | Pungitius pungitius | **** | ||||
| Gerreidae | Spotfin Mjorra | Eucinostomus argenteus | ** | |||
| Gobiidae | Naked Goby | Gobiosoma bosc | **** | |||
| Highfin Goby | Gobionellus oceanicus | ° | ||||
| Ictaluridae | White Catfish | Ameiurus catus | **** | |||
| Brown Bullhead | Ameiurus nebulosus | **** | ||||
| Tadpole Madtom | Noturus gyrinus | ** | ||||
| Margined Madtom | Noturus insignis | ** | ||||
| Yellow Bullhead | Ameiurus natalis | ° | ||||
| Labridae | Tautog | Tautoga onitis | **** | |||
| Cunner | Tautogolabrus adspersus | **** | ||||
| Lophiiformes | Goosefish or American Angler | Lophius americanus | ** | |||
| Lutjanidae | Pigfish | Orthopristis chrysoptera | **** | |||
| Grey Snapper | Lutjanus griseus | *** | ||||
| Schoolmaster | Lutjanus apodus | ° | ||||
| Moronidae | White Perch | Morone americana | **** | |||
| Striped Bass | Morone saxatilis | **** | ||||
| Mugilidae | Striped Mullet | Mugil cephalus | **** | |||
| White Mullet | Mugil curema | **** | ||||
| Odontaspididae | Sand Tiger | Odontaspis taurus | ** | |||
| Ophidiidae | Striped Cusk-eel | Ophidion marginatum | **** | |||
| Osmeridae | Atlantic Rainbow Smelt | Osmerus mordax | **** | |||
| Ostraciidae | Scrawled Cowfish | Acanthostracion quadricornis | ** | |||
| Percidae | Tessellated Darter | Etheostoma olmstedi | **** | |||
| Yellow Perch | Perca flavescens | **** | ||||
| Petromyzontidae | Sea Lamprey | Petromyzon marinus | **** | |||
| American Brook Lamprey | Lampetra appendix | *** | ||||
| Pholidae | Rock Gunnel | Pholis gunnellus | **** | |||
| Pleuronectidae | Winter Flounder | Pseudopleuronectes americanus | **** | |||
| Yellowtail Flounder | Limanda ferruginea | ° | ||||
| Pomatomidae | Bluefish | Pomatomus saltatrix | **** | |||
| Priacanthidae | Short Bigeye | Pristigenys alta | ° | |||
| Rachycentridae | Cobia | Rachycentron canadum | ° | |||
| Rajidae | Little Skate | Leucoraja erinacea | **** | |||
| Barndoor Skate | Dipturus laevis | ° | ||||
| Salmonidae | Brook Trout | Salvelinus fontinalis | **** | |||
| Atlantic Salmon | Salmo salar | ** | ||||
| Sciaenidae | Silver Perch | Bairdiella chrysoura | **** | |||
| Weakfish | Cynoscion regalis | **** | ||||
| Spot Croaker | Leiostomus xanthurus | **** | ||||
| Northern Kingfish | Menticirrhus saxatilis | **** | ||||
| Black Drum | Pogonias cromis | **** | ||||
| Atlantic Mackerel | Scomber scombrus | **** | ||||
| Atlantic Croaker | Micropogonias undulatus | ** | ||||
| Spanish Mackerel | Scomberomorus maculatus | ** | ||||
| Serranidae | Black Sea Bass | Centropristis striata | **** | |||
| Gag | Mycteroperca microlepis | ° | ||||
| Soleidae | Hogchoker | Trinectes maculatus | **** | |||
| Sparidae | Sheepshead Seabream | Archosargus probatocephalus | **** | |||
| Porgy (Scup) | Stenotomus chrysops | **** | ||||
| Pinfish | Lagodon rhomboides | *** | ||||
| Sphyraenidae | Guaguanche | Sphyraena guachancho | ** | |||
| Northern Sennet | Sphyraena borealis | ° | ||||
| Squalidae | Spiny Dogfish or Piked Dogfish | Squalus acanthias | **** | |||
| Stromateidae | Butterfish | Peprilus triacanthus | *** | |||
| Syngnathidae | Lined Seahorse | Hippocampus erectus | **** | |||
| Northern Pipefish | Syngnathus fuscus | **** | ||||
| Synodontidae | Inshore Lizardfish | Synodus foetens | ** | |||
| Tetraodontidae | Northern Puffer | Sphoeroides maculatus | **** | |||
| Smooth Puffer | Lagocephalus laevigatus | *** | ||||
| Striped Burrfish | Chilomycterus schoepfii | ° | ||||
| Thrichiuridae | Atlantic Cutlassfish or Largehead Hairtail | Trichiurus lepturus | ** | |||
| Triglidae | Striped Searobin | Prionotus evolans | **** | |||
| Northern Searobin | Prionotus carolinus | *** | ||||
| Umbridae | Eastern Mudminnow | Umbra pygmaea | **** | |||
| Uranoscopidae | Northern Stargazer | Astroscopus guttatus | ° | |||