Interesting Facts About Clownfish

Interesting Facts About Clownfish

1. Also commonly named Anemonefish, Clownfish are members of the Amphiprioninae subfamily classified in the Pomacentridae or Damselfish family.

2. Clownfish are native to the warm waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans including the Great Barrier Reef and the Red Sea.

3. The Clownfish have three white stripes, one at the head, middle and tail. If you look really closely, you may notice that there are thin black lines around the white stripes. Also, the tips of their fins have a thin black rounded stripe.

4. The clown fish is typically bright, orange fish that have three white stripes. However, there are various types of clownfish that range in colors from blue to yellow.

5. Because they are quite active and aggressive, the clownfish are thought to be "clowning around".

6. The males tend to be significantly smaller than the females.

7. Baby clown float out to sea for 10-12 days and then use their sense of smell to guide them back home.  Their sense of smell is so accurate they can even pick out the exact reef they were born in!

8. Clownfish are small and would be preyed upon by larger fish if they were not living within and protected by the stinging tentacles of the anemone. The clownfish is covered with a specialized mucous that gives it immunity from the sting cells on the host anemone. Safe within the anemone tentacles, the clownfish can feed on planktonic organisms that float by.

9. Clown fish are colourful, cute and sometimes amusing inhabitants of tropical reefs from several places around the world, including the Great Barrier Reef. They are a hardy fish, and with the proper aquarium and care, can be safely kept in the home for many years.

10. Clown fish like “Nemo” are usually 2-8cm long. They have an unusual symbiotic relationship with sea anemone in the wild.

11. While other fish may be stung and killed by the anemone’s tentacles, Clown fish are immune, living amongst the tentacles. They feed on the anemone’s leftovers, and can even bring it food.

12. In a symbiotic mutualism (“I scratch your back and you scratch mine”), the clownfish feeds on small invertebrates that otherwise have potential to harm the sea anemone, and the fecal matter from the clownfish provides nutrients to the sea anemone. The clownfish is additionally protected from predators by the anemone's stinging cells, to which it is immune.

13. The symbiotic relationship between clownfish and anemones also benefits the anemone. The clownfish drives away hungry butterfly fish that would nibble on the anemone’s tentacles. The clownfish also “preen” the anemone’s tentacles by cleaning up the leftovers, waste material and debris that might clutter up the anemone and invite parasites and algae.

14. Clownfish live in small groups inhabiting a single anemone. The group consists of a dominant breeding pair cohabiting with a few non-reproductive adult and juvenile clownfish. They aggressively defend their territory, bullying others away from their host anemone.

15. Within a small group of clownfish only the dominant male and female clownfish mate. The female then lays 300-700 eggs on the rocky area beneath the host anemone.

16. The eggs are cared for by the male who routinely fans them, circulating the water and increasing the oxygen supply. He cleans away debris and mouths the eggs, removing any dead eggs. The eggs hatch at night after six to seven days of incubation.

17. The offspring, called “fry,” are all male and they are tiny (one-tenth inch or 3-4 mm). The clownfish fry float away, joining the plankton that travels with the ocean currents. After 15 days of floating, eating and growing, they are ready to bond with a host anemone. 

18. Juvenile clownfish live and feed mainly around the fringes of an anemone’s tentacles. If the breeding female dies, the adult male has the biological ability to change sex and over a couple of weeks, become a female. Meanwhile the biggest of the juvenile males steps up to replace the breeding male and they form a new breeding pair. This unique adaptation ensures the continuation of the species. The lifespan of clownfish is unknown.

19. Clownfish rarely stray more than a few feet from their host anemone.

20. The characters in the movie “Finding Nemo” are false percula clownfish.

21. There are 28 known species of clownfish.

22. While clownfish are unharmed by the stinging cells of an anemone, they are not immune to jellyfish stings.

23. Females control males with aggressive dominance, thus controlling the creation of other females.  The largest male in turn dominates the juveniles and prevents other males from spawning.