Clownfish Research Papers

Anemone fish, also called clown fish, live nestled among the tentacles of stinging anemones. Scientists have found that these fish have a special layer of saliva that keeps the anemones from stinging them. Clown fish need the security they find in their anemones: the anemones' stings keep fish predators away, and a clown fish never lives without its host anemone. The partnership may benefit the anemones, as well they get scraps of food dropped by the Clown fish as they eat. And the aggressive and territorial Clown fishes may defend their anemones by driving away Butterfly fishes and other anemone-eating fishes.

A clown fish is a fish that lives in a salt water environment. Clown fish are typically very bright in color, orange with three white strip one on the head, tail and middle of the body. 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

At the Aquarium, we feed them small, cut-up pieces of shrimp and smelt, as well as krill. Because they are quite active, the clownfish are thought to be "clowning around". They defend their territory and the sea anemone that they live in. Clownfish eat the leftovers from fish on the anemone and algae. The leftovers include copepods, isopods and zooplankton.

The clown anemone fish has thin black bands, while the orange clownfish has thick black bands separating the orange and white coloration of the body. The clown anemone fish often has a slightly less brilliant color than the orange clownfish. Viewed head-on, the clown anemone fish’s head appears plain while the orange clown fish’s head has a pronounced bulging face similar to a frog. The clown anemone fish’s eyes are grayish orange and appear to be larger than they actually are; the orange clownfish has a bright orange iris, which has the effect of making the eyes look