Clownfish (Anemonefish) – The Little Beautiful Fish in Marine

Whenever you dive I'm sure that you always meet the group of cute clownfish which enliven the underwater world. However, are you sure that you have already known them well, if you say no, let's see the following interesting info quickly.


Photo: Arne Kuilman

Clownfish and anemonefish are fishes from the subfamily Amphiprioninae in the family Pomacentridae. About twenty eight species are recognized, one in the genus Premnas, while the remaining are in the genus Amphiprion. In the wild they all form symbiotic mutualisms with sea anemones. Depending on species, clownfish are overall yellow, orange, reddish, or blackish, and many show white bars or patches and the tips of their fins have a thin black rounded stripe. The largest reach a length of 18 cm, while the smallest barely reach 10 cm. Also, they live at the bottom of the sea in sheltered reefs or in shallow lagoons, usually in pairs.

Furthermore, the unique qualification of them that made me surprised is about the reproduction. Clownfish live in small groups inhabiting a single anemone. The group consists of a breeding pair, which cohabits with a few non-reproductive, "pre-pubescent", and smaller male clownfish. When the female dies, the dominant male changes sex and becomes the female. This life history strategy is known as sequential hermaphroditism. In addition, clownfish are all born as males, they are protandrous hermaphrodites which are in contrast with another form of hermaphroditism, known as protogyny, in which all fish are born as females but can change to males later. Clownfish can lay hundreds or thousands of eggs depend on the species and they were the first type of marine ornamental fish to be successfully bred in captivity on a large scale.


Photo: emphasis

Normally, Clownfish are not eaten by other fish and live safely at the quiet corners of the Coral reef. But, their greatest threat is human. If you don't believe me, you can see that many of them are living in the aquarium or at the rich man's home and many Coral reefs have been destroyed by human too. Moreover, Clownfish become popular for now so I'm afraid that you will not see them in the nature in the future.
Anyway, it's a good luck for them that some conservationists have found the method for helping them like raising them and their habitat. But, you can also be the part of preserving Clownfish, no need to do the great thing and spend too much money; you just begin to aware of the nature around you. Not only the aquatic animals but you can also attend to all environments in our world.