Where Do Clownfish Live?

Most people picture clownfish orange and white thanks to movies like Finding Nemo. However, clownfish can be striped or solid and have a variety of colors like black, yellow, and even pink. 

Clownfish have a mutualistic relationship with sea anemones! A mutualistic relationship, also called mutualism, occurs when two different species interact and they get something good from the interaction. So, what benefits do clownfish and sea anemones get?

The main benefit clownfish get from sea anemones is protection for themselves and their eggs. Sea anemones are related to jellyfish and, like jellyfish, they are covered in venomous stinging cells. Most fish get stung when they touch a sea anemone, but not clownfish. Scientists hypothesize that clownfish are not harmed by sea anemones because of a thick layer of mucus coating on their bodies. 

The sea anemone also provides clownfish with food scraps not eaten in the anemone’s last meal. Most clownfish are omnivores. They eat scraps of fish and other anemone leftovers, zooplankton, worms, and algae. 

So, what does the anemone get in return? A few things! The clownfish provides the sea anemone with nutrients through its waste and defends the anemone from predators and parasites. 

Clownfish usually live in small groups with a strict hierarchy. The group is led by a dominant female. She is the largest in the group. The rest of the group consists of males. The largest, most dominant male is the only male that will breed with the female. 

Female clownfish lay their eggs on a hard surface under or close to the anemone to be as protected as possible. The larger species of clownfish produce more than 1,000 eggs at a time! The eggs are cared for by the dominant male for 6-10 eggs before they hatch.

The tiny, undeveloped clownfish are all born male. They float toward the surface and stay there until they develop enough to return to the bottom to find a sea anemone of their own. 

So, since there is only one female in the group, what would happen if something happened to the dominant female?

The dominant male would become a female and the new leader of the group. The next largest male in the group would become the new dominant male and all the other males would move up one rank. Other fish, like parrotfish and wrasses, can also change sex, but they start their lives as females instead of males. 

I think we can all agree that clownfish are the perfect combination of fascinating and adorable, causing lots of people to want clownfish in their home or local aquariums! Unfortunately, clownfish are poached (or taken) from the wild to sell in the aquarium trade. 

They are also threatened by warming ocean waters which harm sea anemones. Sea anemones cannot survive in water that is too warm and, as the ocean temperature increases, their survival is threatened which also threatens the survival of clownfish.

We can protect clownfish, sea anemones, and all ocean animals by reducing our impact on climate change.