Are there horses at the aquarium too?

At Tokyo Sea Life Park 's New Year's event, "Aquarium New Year 2026," we handed out the aquarium's original fortune-telling slips, "Kasarin Fortune-telling Slips," which have been well-received every year. Did you all have a chance to draw one?

The Kasarin fortune slips feature animals related to the Chinese zodiac each year, and this year, being the Year of the Horse, they included a "Tengu Hagi" (a type of snake) and a "Horseshoe Leather Jacket."

So where does the "horse" part come in?
This article introduces fish with names related to the horse (uma). The name of the tank where they are displayed is also written next to the species name, so please try to find them.

Long-nosed surgeonfish, Tank No. 5, "South China Sea"

The Tengufish family is known as "unicorn fish" in English. As the name suggests, Tengufish have a long protrusion in the middle of their head, resembling a unicorn (a legendary horse-like creature with a single horn growing from its forehead), which is said to be used for courtship.

The same tank also displays a fish called the "Whitemargin Unicornfish." Whitemargin Unicornfish is larger, so be sure to try and find other differences between it and the Small Unicornfish.

Horseshoe leather jacket, Tank No. 10 "Southern Australia"

Some filefish are bright blue or yellow and have a horseshoe-shaped pattern in the middle of their bodies. They have a distinctive swimming style in which they undulate their dorsal and anal fins, so be sure to pay attention to how they swim.

Domestic Horse scorpionfish Tank number 30 "Beach creatures"

It is characterized by its long, horse-like face, which is where its name comes from, and the blue color of its fins and parts of its body. Domestic Horse, which is also a type of filefish, has a spine on its head. This spine is a modified dorsal fin that it uses to anchor its body when hiding in crevices between rocks.

John Dory Tank Number 25 "Deep Sea Creatures 4"

There are two theories about the origin of the name: one is that it is called Matou (horse head) because the shape of the head resembles a horse's head, and the other is that it is called Matodai (target) because the round pattern looks like a target.

They live near the seabed at depths of 30 to 400 meters. They have a very elongated mouth, which they quickly extend to catch prey.

Big Belly Seahorse, Tank No. 15, "Western Australia"

This is a type of seahorse. Seahorses are called "seahorses" in English. Males have a pouch on their stomachs for raising their young, where the female lays her eggs, and the male guards them until they hatch.

Be sure to look for fish related to the horse at the aquarium. You might get lucky if you find them all!

[Sophie Kato, Education and Outreach Tokyo Sea Life Park]

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(January 16, 2026)