The Confusing Clownfish
There was a popular animated movie involving a clownfish a spell back, but movies are not a good source of accurate information about nature. Even so, clownfish are kind of cute. We see the typical image of orange and white, but they are found in a variety of colors. The most baffling thing about them is their companionship with sea anemones. Credit: Unsplash / Sebastian Pena Lambarri How can the clownfish get so cozy in the tentacles of the sea anemones? Those things sting their prey, after all, and are related to jellyfish. You might be unpleasantly stung your ownself. Scientists think that the slime coat (mucus) on this fish makes it chemically invisible to the anemone, but there may be other factors involved as well. ( Fish need their slime coats , but this dude's is special, I reckon.) They make their homes around anemones. Yes, you can keep both in home aquariums — if you know what you're doing. To preserve the species, clownfish have the organs of both males and