List of marine invertebrates of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay

In some cases they are an important part of the ecological community, and others may have been passing through, or were carried out of their natural ranges by the vagaries of ocean currents or winds.

Some of the animals are deep within their range of endemism, or near its borders, while others are cosmopolitan or recently arrived aliens.

The geographical range is from Bloubergstrand at the north of Table Bay to Cape Hangklip, the south eastern limit of False Bay, in the Western Cape province of South Africa and includes the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area (TMNP MPA),[1] the Helderberg Marine Protected Area, and part of the Robben Island Marine Protected Area.

Most of the shore is within the City of Cape Town, except for a section of the east coast of False Bay, south of Kogel Bay, which is in the Overstrand Local Municipality The region is near to several universities and research institutions in Cape Town and Stellenbosch, which has led to many studies of the organisms and of the marine ecology, particularly those organisms that are easily or incidentally collected.

The popularity of these waters for recreational diving has led to an increase in reported underwater photographic observations in recent years.