THE CLOWN FISH
- Friendly Fins
- Dec 12, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 7
"Who doesn't know me by now? Thanks to the cartoon "Finding Nemo" I've become a real star of the reef! But beyond my adventures, there's still a lot to know about me!"
Let's get started...
How do we recognize clownfish?
Although the coral reef is a riot of incredible colors and shapes, the clownfish is easily recognized among all this splendor:
First of all, there are as many as 30 species of clownfish;
“we are very similar but if you look at us carefully, you will notice some small differences!”
They all live inside anemones;
“we feel so good in there”
They are always in pairs or small groups;
They have modest dimensions: from a few cm up to a maximum of 15 cm;
“we are not very big but we still make ourselves respected!”
We are orange or reddish, with white stripes or spots that vary depending on the species, some of us have darker fin tips,
“So if you lay your eyes on a not-so-big, orange-like fish with white stripes inside an anemone, that's us! You can't go wrong!”
What is an anemone?
The anemone is part of the large group of cnidarians like corals and jellyfish, but it has unique characteristics that make it easily recognizable:
It's a huge polyp! Do you remember the small coral polyps? Here the structure is the same but gigantic!
Its dimensions vary from a few cm up to 2 meters!
They live attached to the seabed which can be rock (in temperate seas), sand or coral reef,
It is an animal in all respects, with a mouth, a gastrointestinal cavity and a wonderful crown of tentacles,
The tentacles are stinging, a characteristic that it shares with the entire group of cnidarians,
They have wonderful colors that vary from the brightest like blue, pink and red; to the more pale ones like white and gray.
Although there are more than a thousand species of anemones in existence, only 10 are home to clownfish: among the most common are the magnificent anemones, the carpet anemones, and the bubble anemones.
Why an anemone as a home
The beauty of a clownfish inside its anemone, while it happily swims among its tentacles, has always been one of the most photographed pictures, but be careful, this idyllic situation has not always been like this!
The Symbiosis Between Anemone and Clownfish
Symbiosis is a very close relationship between two or more living beings that help each other survive. The anemone hosts the clownfish, protecting it from predators, while the clownfish in return keeps it clean of parasites and defends it in turn.
The anemone, in addition to the clownfish, can enter into symbiosis with microscopic zooxanthellae algae and some crustaceans, such as the porcelain crab.
The clownfish takes its role as defender of the anemone seriously! In fact, it has a strong character and woe betide anyone who gets too close! Humans included!
“Anyone who comes too close to our house automatically becomes our enemy and we are willing to do anything to chase him away!”
Their aggressive behavior is clearly noticeable:
They swim frantically upwards, temporarily abandoning the anemone in order to make the intruder understand that it must “move out”;
They hide inside the anemone, preparing for a surprise attack;
They come directly in front of the divers' masks with a very domineering attitude!!
Luckily they are only a few centimetres long and completely harmless to humans but their courage and determination are quite remarkable!
The Birth of the Clownfish
The clownfish is not actually born inside the anemone and spends its entire life there, but has a unique life cycle. Let's see...
“Just like in the cartoon, the mother lays her eggs at the base of the anemone, well protected by her tentacles, the father fertilizes them and will take care of protecting and oxygenating them until they hatch.”
Clownfish produce approximately 600-700 eggs which will hatch in 6 to 8 days (depending on environmental factors such as temperature);
Once hatched, they will give rise to small larvae that will float in the ocean for about ten days, becoming part of the famous plankton!
Only when they begin to grow, they will return to the coral reef and look for a new home;
“Obviously, not all of us will survive, only a few of us will make it.”
The anemone chosen will not be the same anemone as the parents;
The most curious thing is that each egg will give birth to a male! Clownfish are therefore born all males and only during their life, will they become females.
The Clown Fish Dance
“Well, we have arrived in front of our chosen anemone, now what do we do? We are fish like all the others and the anemone in front of us is an anemone like all the others, with its terrifying stinging tentacles!”
The little clownfish, once it has chosen "its" anemone, will start to do a very particular dance around its tentacles.
“Now you’re wondering why we should start dancing?!”
The little fish will move closer and further away from the anemone, allowing its skin to get used to the tentacles and to produce a film made of mucus that will make it immune to their stinging power. Only after this delicate process can it be hosted in all respects inside the anemone.
However, this does not mean that the anemone is not already occupied by someone else…
The creation of the colony
When we observe an anemone with its clownfish, in most cases we see two larger clownfish and possibly some smaller ones. Therefore our little friend will probably go to live in an anemone that is already “inhabited”.
Who lives in the anemone?
The two largest fish we observe are the dominant pair with a female who commands and the male with whom she reproduces.
“Our relationship is strictly monogamous”
The other fish around them are immature males, meaning they are unable to reproduce, at least not yet.
How to become a female
“The question will then arise spontaneously, how does one become a female?”
The dominant female controls the male with aggressive behavior, preventing him from mating with other female anemones nearby. Together they also control immature males, releasing powerful hormones that prevent their growth and sexual development.
Only when the dominant female dies or abandons the anemone, the dominant male will be able to change sex and therefore become the dominant female, while the largest male among the immature ones will be able to become the new reproductive male; thus re-establishing a new hierarchy.
“Don’t think that this process is so fast! Because females can live from 10 to 13 years! While males live a little less, probably due to their mobility to try to dominate other anemones without hosts”
Friendly Fins if you were surprised by this strange story, know that you are just at the beginning!
Now get ready to dive with us to discover these extraordinary little fish!
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