Ocellaris clownfish

Amphiprion ocellaris · The ocellaris clownfish is a small marine fish that lives with sea anemones in the eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean.

Also called False percula clownfish, Common clownfish, Clown anemonefish, False clown anemonefish.

Ocellaris clownfish
Photo: Rickard Zerpe, CC BY-SA 2.0
Ocellaris clownfish
Photo: Kaysan1212, CC BY 4.0
Ocellaris clownfish
Photo: Nick Hobgood, CC BY-SA 3.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderBlenniiformes
FamilyPomacentridae
GenusAmphiprion
SpeciesAmphiprion ocellaris

Where it lives

Reefs from the Andaman Sea to Indonesia, the Philippines and northwest Australia.

Fun facts

  • Ocellaris clownfish can change sex: a male can become a female during its life.
  • If the dominant female of an anemone group is removed, the dominant male becomes the new female and the next-ranked male moves up to take his place.
  • A clownfish's mucus protects it from the stinging tentacles of its anemone home.
  • Clownfish may help their anemones by fanning them and removing parasites, and they can defend the anemone against reef fishes that might eat its tentacles.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).