Field guide · common
Clownfish
The anemone's roommate — a bright orange reef fish that lives immune among stinging tentacles and swaps sex when the dominant female dies.
Least Concern
Overview
Clownfish — the real-life models for a famous animated film — live in symbiosis with sea anemones, sheltered from predators by stinging tentacles that would kill most fish. A special mucus coating prevents the anemone from stinging its resident clownfish.
Clownfish societies are fascinating: they are born male and live in hierarchy within an anemone, with the largest female dominant. When she dies, the largest male transforms into a female — a rare example of sequential hermaphroditism.
Habitat
Shallow coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific hold clownfish and their host anemones. Indonesia's Raja Ampat, Bali, and Komodo waters offer some of the easiest reef snorkelling for spotting orange-and-white pairs darting among the tentacles.
Countries found
Interesting facts
- 01
Clownfish live among stinging anemones — a mucus coating protects them.
- 02
All clownfish are born male — the dominant fish becomes female.
- 03
They fan eggs laid on rocks near the anemone to keep them oxygenated.
Conservation status
Ocellaris clownfish are Least Concern in the wild, though coral reef degradation threatens their habitat. The aquarium trade relies heavily on captive breeding after wild collection was restricted.
Free on iOS
Catch the Clownfish
Spot one in the wild — then scan it in Catch'Um to log your common discovery.