Ripjaws shares a number of traits with Earth's aquatic life, such as an alligator, an eel, a leech, an anglerfish, and a shark. He can change between a fishtail with triangular lines or legs at will and has a phosphorescent light on his head.
In the Original Series, Ripjaws' body was mostly grey and he had four-webbed-fingered hands with yellow claws. and two webbed two toe feet he had visible gills and some patches of scales on his body along with sharp blade like fins also on his leg