10 Interesting Clown Fish Facts

Clownfish, sometimes called anemone fish are brightly coloured fish with three white stripes. They can be orange like Nemo, but some species can be yellow and white or even blue and white. Given below are some interesting facts about clown fish.

1. Clown fishes live in small groups among sea anemones. Anemones are flesh-eating animals that look like plants. Clown fishes are one of the very few fishes that can co-exist with the anemones. Clown fishes and anemones are said to have mutualism. Mutualism is a scientific term for mutual understanding. The relationship between the clown fish and sea anemone is a symbiotic relationship. Our ‘Nemos’ benefit the anemones by eating the leftovers of the anemones. Clown fishes also eat the dead tentacles of the anemones, thus helping them to survive. Clown fish help the sea anemones by circulating the water around them. In return the anemones protect the clown fish from the attack of other fishes by their venomous tentacles.

clownfish group

2. One of the interesting clown fish facts is that clown fish are not mammals, they lay eggs. They can lay around thousand eggs at one time, and unlike other fishes, out of the thousand eggs, all can survive! The eggs are laid only during the full moon and they hatch only after dusk! The male clown fish guards the eggs.

Clownfish and eggs

3. Clown fishes get their name because of their stripes and their bouncing movements, which make them look like clowns. Apart from the orange and white color, clown fishes are also found in black and white color. Their body is black in color and the stripes are white. These are called Ocellaris clown fishes.

clown fish

4. All clown fish are born males. But when a female dies, the most dominant clown fish changes itself into a female.

male clown fish

5. Though clown fishes are shown as calm and modest in the movie, ‘Finding Nemo’, they are actually known to be aggressive fishes. But there are exceptions, like the skunk clown fishes. The skunk clown fishes do not have stripes like the other clown fishes.

clownfishes

6. One species of the clown fish, called the percula clown fish, dances when it comes into contact with the anemones for the first time.

Percula Clownfish

7. Clown fish have different names in different languages. In Japanese they are called kakure-kumanomi , in Russian they are called obyknovennaya rybka-kloun and they are also called klovnfisk in Danish.

Clown fish

8. One more interesting clown fish facts is that the clown fish are mainly found in the warm water of Indian and Pacific oceans. Coral reefs in warm waters are the clown fish habitat. In the wild, clown fishes are said to live for six-eight years, and they grow up to only three to five inches

clown fish in coral

9. Clown fish are not pure vegetarians, they are omnivores. They eat algae, and the food left by the anemones. If you are to keep a clown fish in a fish tank, don’t worry. Clown fish care is easy as they can survive without anemones also.

clown fish eat algae

10. Wondering how clown fish factsprotect themselves from the poisonous tentacles of the anemones? Well, they are protected from the venomous tentacles of the anemones by a layer of mucus which is present on their bodies.

Clownfish use a layer of mucus