Last updated: July 8, 2024 by the Homemade Gifts Coloring Team
Explore the wonder of the oceans, rivers, and lakes with these fish coloring pages! When I was little, there was nothing cooler than going out on my grandparents’ boat. I loved being on the water, and I still do. It has always amazed me that there are so many different species down below—fish, octopi, crabs, dolphins, seaweed, coral—it’s a whole ecosystem, a whole other world. We’ve put together over 30 fish-themed images for your coloring delight ranging from largemouth bass, rainbowfish, lionfish, clownfish, seahorses, and more!
It’s frightening how much we don’t understand about the ocean, or even our local rivers, lakes, and ponds. Weirdly enough, we know exponentially more about our solar system (and beyond) than we do our own oceans. For example, did you know that fish can pass down learned information? Or that sometimes fish have a preferred group to hang out with? Or that they might even understand that you’re smiling at them? Although, I think my favorite fact is that most fish have bony skeletons, whereas most sharks are made of cartilage.
From sharks to the coral reef, these cute and aesthetic fish coloring pages offer large variety for relaxing coloring fun. Time to break open the crayons, colored pencils, markers—whatever your heart desires!
Free Printable Fish Coloring Pages
Scroll down to explore all our fun fish coloring printouts, or use these quick links:
Fish Coloring Pages for Kids
Realistic Fish Coloring Pages
Our fish coloring sheets are high-resolution, letter-sized printable PDFs. To download, simply click on the image or text-link under the image. These printables are for personal, non-commercial use only.
Cute Fish Coloring Pages for Kids
I believe that the first step in creating oceanographers is to get the little ones interested while young! The best way to do that is by sparking some interest with some coloring. Below is a collection of easy fish coloring pages that can spark curiosity and creativity!
Realistic Fish Coloring Pages for Adults & Teens
While these images are for the more advanced artist, it shouldn’t stop anyone from trying them out! Sometimes, I like to print these images on thicker paper so that I can break out some acrylic (or even watercolor) paint! You can always choose to trace the design on thicker paper or canvas for better backing.
Did You Know? Fun Facts for Your Fish Coloring!
Seahorse Coloring Tips and Facts
It’s hard to pick the best color palette for your seahorse coloring pages since they are so good at camouflaging themselves! But that also means there are so many color schemes to inspire you, all based on the seahorse’s coral environment. And why stop there? What about a stellar seahorse, using galaxy colors and space themes? Learn more with our favorite seahorse fun facts:
- Seahorses don’t have stomachs! They use suction to eat a diet of small fish and other tiny organisms. They can actually “vacuum” up to 3,000 crustaceans daily.
- While they are fantastic predators, they are horrible swimmers. They tend to latch onto a stationary object to eat.
- They are considered to have amazing camouflage, which is great for both hiding from predators and for being a predator themselves.
Pufferfish Coloring Tips and Facts
Pufferfish are iconic for their adorable response to predators. Pufferfish coloring pages are also a great place to use some of your brighter colors, such as yellows. These bright colors mark their toxicity. Some of them have freckled patterns as well!
- When we think of a pufferfish, we think about how they have this unique ability to inflate themselves into a spiky ball to evade predators.
- Most pufferfish are toxic to humans and other fish.
- Pufferfish are the only bony fish (that we know of!) to be able to close their eyes.
Clownfish Coloring Tips and Facts
The color scheme of a clown fish coloring page is simply: bright orange, white, and black. This makes clownfish a lot of fun to color in for kids. For adults coloring a clownfish coloring sheet, there can be a lot of complexity too, with highlights and shading to give these clown fish a realistic shine.
- Nemo was a clownfish!
- Did you know that all clownfish are male and some switch later in life?
- Clownfish live in anemones, but not all anemones are safe for every clownfish. This is a very selective, symbiotic relationship that is on a fish-by-fish, anemone-by anemone basis!
Bass Coloring Tips and Facts
Largemouth bass coloring pages are a great place to try out beautiful shades of green and yellow. Their scales make a dark stripe down their length. While younger kids can keep it simple by coloring this stripe black, it’s also an opportunity for older artists to practice shading and patterns.
- In the United States, largemouth bass are the biggest aquatic predator.
- They are considered to be an invasive species due to their large appetites and lack of natural predators.
- Largemouth bass have fantastic vision—they can see almost the same range of colors that humans can!
Lionfish Coloring Tips and Facts
Lionfish coloring pages are incredibly decorative and beautiful. They have many fin shapes and patterns for you to focus on, and they also offer simple color schemes of orange, bright red, and deep reds even to the point of looking brown or black.
- Lionfish are an invasive species and can be harmful to other native species of ocean life if life if left unchecked.
Lionfish are actually venomous—not poisonous. Which means that you can eat them, but don’t get stung by the spines!
Manta Ray Coloring Tips and Facts
The dark shades of grey and black that you can use in a manta ray coloring page lend a majesty to the blues of the water surrounding them. This is a good place to practice high contrasts in your ocean coloring page!
- Manta rays have the largest brains in the fish kingdom! This makes them highly intelligent creatures.
- These creatures are quite mysterious, as scientists have only been truly studying them for the last decade.
- Manta rays can grow to have wingspans of almost 25 feet and can weigh up to 5,000 pounds! That’s two and a half tons!
Swordfish Coloring Tips and Facts
Swordfish are most often pale grey with darker black and long, elegant fins. This keeps the swordfish coloring simple so that you can create bright, dynamic scenes and focus on coloring in the beautiful blue of the water around them.
- Swordfish are super fast! They can reach speeds of anywhere from 60 to 70 mph!
- Adult swordfish do not have scales, they lose them as they mature.
- Weirdly enough, swordfish also lose all of their teeth by adulthood!
Dolphin Coloring Pages
If you’re looking for more sea creature coloring pages and free printables, take a peek at our collection of dolphin coloring sheets for cute and playful pictures to color in.
More Free Printable Coloring Pages
Don’t let the fun stop there. There are tons more critters you can enjoy coloring in. You can even find some fun coloring pages that have to do with holidays, seasons, and mythical creatures. Here are just a few:
Summer Coloring Pages
Turtle Coloring Pages
Dolphin Coloring Pages
Turtle Coloring Pages
Dragon Coloring Pages
Animal Coloring Pages
Unicorn Coloring Pages
Mermaid Coloring Pages
Coloring Sheets for Kindergartners
Coloring Pages for Girls
Coloring Pages for Boys
Car Coloring Pages
Check out our complete coloring collection here!
