Clownin' Around
In our Coral Reef exhibit, you'll get to meet one of the ocean's best known and loved fish, the clownfish!
Did you know that clownfish live in the venomous tentacles of sea anemones? They are one of the only ocean creatures that can do this as they are protected by a layer of slimy mucus on their skin! Clownfish like to live in sea anemones so that they are protected from predators and can nibble on leftover food the sea anemone catches. In return, they help keep sea anemones and the area around them clean by eating up algae and other reef debris.
If you see a pair of clownfish in a sea anemone, the larger of the two will be the female, and the smaller the male.
Not all clownfish species are orange in color. Some are red, brown or even black!
Male clownfish are devoted parents. They look after the eggs, fanning them to keep them oxygenated. They will chase away fish much bigger than them and even square up to inquisitive scuba divers to…
All clownfish are born male! Some will eventually turn into females when they are older.
