Creature Feature Encyclopedia: Osteichthyes

Clown Fish Amphiprion percula

The clownfish gets its name from its bright coloring and the downward turn of its mouth. In what it called a symbiotic relationship, the clownfish has a unique partnership with the with the anemone, a stationary animal with rows of poisonous tentacles around its mouth. The clownfish protects its eggs from predators by laying them at the base of the anemone, in turn, it helps to feed the anemone. The clownfish is protected from the stings of its host by a mucus coating which covers its scales. White bands on its body provide camouflage when it hides among the tentacles of the anemone.

~A Swim through the Sea © 1994