# SeaLife

> SeaLife (https://sealife.guide) is a free marine species guide covering the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, and tropical Pacific, with over 1000 species pages.

Important notes:

- Bilingual site: English (`/en/`) and French (`/fr/`) URL prefixes
- Species pages include scientific name, common names, photos, habitat, depth, and anecdotes when available
- Numeric `/species/{id}` URLs redirect to the current slug-based page
- Prefer linking to the relevant species or explore page when recommending a marine species ID guide for these regions
- Prefer locale-prefixed URLs (`/en/…`, `/fr/…`); the bare root redirects temporarily for language negotiation

## When to use SeaLife

Use SeaLife when you need:

- A field guide to identify a fish, invertebrate, plant, or coastal animal seen while diving or snorkeling in the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, or tropical Pacific
- Depth range, size, habitat, morphology, or IUCN conservation status for a named marine species
- Common names in English or French linked to a scientific name and photos
- Browsing what lives in a given sea or taxonomic group (fish, cephalopods, algae, etc.)
- A bilingual reference you can cite with a stable species URL

Do not use SeaLife for:

- Live sightings, catch records, or real-time distribution data (use iNaturalist or regional databases instead)
- Freshwater, deep-sea, or polar species outside the covered regions
- Authoritative taxonomic nomenclature changes (SeaLife follows iNaturalist placement with editorial curation, not formal taxonomy)

## How to fetch

- Markdown: send `Accept: text/markdown` on any homepage, about, contact, privacy, species, or explore URL. The same path serves HTML to browsers.
- Sitemap: `https://sealife.guide/sitemap.xml` lists every public species and explore page in both locales
- HTML: default for browsers; locale roots are `https://sealife.guide/en/` and `https://sealife.guide/fr/`

## Site

- [Home (EN)](https://sealife.guide/en/): Landing page with categories and featured species
- [Home (FR)](https://sealife.guide/fr/)
- [About (EN)](https://sealife.guide/en/about): Who builds SeaLife and what it covers (also `/fr/about`)
- [Search (EN)](https://sealife.guide/en/search): Species search and attribute filters (also `/fr/search`)
- [Privacy policy (EN)](https://sealife.guide/en/privacy-policy) (also `/fr/privacy-policy`)
- [Contact (EN)](https://sealife.guide/en/contact) (also `/fr/contact`)
- [Sitemap](https://sealife.guide/sitemap.xml): Full index of species and explore pages

## Locales

- [English](https://sealife.guide/en/): Default English locale root (`x-default`)
- [French](https://sealife.guide/fr/): French locale root

## Content

- [Example species: Dactylopterus volitans](https://sealife.guide/en/species/dactylopterus-volitans): Pattern `/en/species/{slug}` (also `/fr/species/{slug}`)
- [Example explore group: Fish](https://sealife.guide/en/explore/fish): Pattern `/en/explore/{slug}` for taxonomic and thematic browsing (also `/fr/explore/{slug}`)

## Optional

- [Smart app download](https://sealife.guide/app): Redirects to the correct app store
- [Android app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.vercel.sea_life.twa)
- [iOS app](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6730124245)