Clownfish

Hello! I'm an Ocellaris Clownfish. My story starts inside a tiny, oval-shaped egg, tucked safely beside my home—a big, wavy sea anemone. When I hatched, I was a tiny fish in a huge, blue world! My skin is bright orange, and I have three special white stripes that go all the way around my body. It looks like I'm wearing a fancy suit all the time. My brothers and sisters and I loved to peek out from our anemone's soft, wiggly tentacles. We watched the busy coral reef all around us, full of so many amazing sights.

My home is the best home in the entire ocean! It's a beautiful sea anemone, which looks like a flower but is actually an animal. Its tentacles can sting other fish that get too close, but they can't sting me. I have a secret! I am covered in a slimy coat of mucus that tells my anemone, "Hey, I'm a friend!" so it just gives me tickly hugs instead of a sting. In return for such a safe place to live, I help out around the house. I clean the tentacles to keep them healthy and I bravely chase away any fish that might try to nibble on my anemone. We are a perfect team! People have known about my kind for a very long time. A scientist first wrote about us way back in the year 1830.

Every day on the reef is a new adventure. I love to dart in and out of my anemone's tentacles, playing a fun game of hide-and-seek with my family. When I get hungry, I look for yummy snacks like tiny shrimp floating by and little bits of green algae. We live together in a family group, and there is always a leader. The leader of the Ocellaris Clownfish group is the largest and dominant female. We all work together to keep our home safe and clean for everyone. We see so many neighbors swimming by our home, like colorful parrotfish munching on coral and graceful sea turtles paddling along slowly through the water. It's a very busy neighborhood here on the reef!

You might think I'm just a small fish, but I have a very big job to do. By keeping my anemone healthy and clean, I help the whole coral reef stay healthy, too. A healthy anemone means a healthier reef, and a healthier reef is a better home for all the animals that live here. In 2003, a very popular movie made my species famous all over the world. That movie helped people learn how important it is to protect our ocean homes. I'm proud to be a small helper in a giant, wonderful ocean, and I wouldn't have it any other way.