By: Megan
-~*CLOWNFISH*~-
Physical Description:
There are hundreds of different kinds of clownfish. They come in colors like
yellow, black, and blue. But the most common kinds of clownfish are orange with 2-3
white stripes outlined in black. They grow to be from 2 to 5 inches long.
Their Name:
Clownfish get their name from their bright colors and their actions. They are
active fish and are often “clowning around.” They come from the Pomacentridae
family.
Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Pomacentridae
Genus: Amphiprion
Species: Amphiprioninae
General Information:
Clownfish are VERTEBRATE DUETEROSTOMES. All
clownfish have a EUCOELOM. They have a CLOSED
circulatory system. All clownfish have ENDOSKELETON
and are ENDOTHERMIC. Clown fish are small fish that
live among anemone. The anemone's tentacles kill other
fish that touch them, but the clownfish seems to be
immune to its poison. Scientists think that the clownfish
may be coated with a mucous that protects it from the poison. The anemone protects
the clownfish from most predators, who know not to go near the anemone's tentacles.
The clown fish helps the anemone by cleaning it and perhaps by scaring away
predators of the anemone. Clownfish neither hurt nor help humans.
By: Megan
Circulatory System:
Clownfish have a CLOSED circulatory system. They have vessels that carry
blood throughout the body. They have a two-chambered heart and a one-loop system.
Respiratory System:
Clownfish breathe through gills. Gills have 3 functions: exchange gases, remove
nitrogen waste, and osmoregulation. Clownfish have countercurrent flow, which is when
water moves away from the head and blood moves toward the head. This allows more
gas to diffuse across the clownfish.
Excretory System:
Clownfish excrete AMMONIA through both gills and kidneys.
Reproductive System:
All clownfish reproduce sexually. They are all born males. They are all
hermaphrodites, meaning they are hatched as sexually immature fry.
After hatching young clownfish begin searching for its own host. If the
fish is accepted into the family, he must join the other “males in waiting.”
WAITING FOR WHAT?.. They are waiting for something to happen to
the female of the host pair before moving up in the ranks. If the female
dies, her male mate develops into a female and another male moves up the
line. This cycle continues. Their fertilization is external. The female will
usually find a flat space to lay her shell-less eggs before the male can fertilize
them. They take 6 to 11 days before they are hatched. After the eggs are hatched,
parental care is over. Over time the young go through
metamorphosis and change into miniature adults. They live in groups with other
clownfish for their whole life.
Habitat:
The clownfish live on the ocean floor. They inhabit
the warm waters of the tropical Pacific Ocean, the Red Sea,
the Indian Ocean, and Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
Therefore, clownfish are not found in South Dakota.
By: Megan
Diet:
This fish eat the anemone's leftovers. It waits until
and eats a fish, then helps itself to bits that the anemone
eats dead anemone tentacles and plankton. The diet of the
copepods, algae, isopods and zooplankton. A clownfish is an
the anemone paralyzes
leaves uneaten. It also
clownfish consists of
omnivore.
Human Impact:
Clownfish are far to small to be hunted by man for food. They
are, although, a very popular saltwater aquarium fish. These fish
command a high price in Europe and United States. Collectors have
destroyed many reefs in search of clownfish, often damaging or killing
the host anemones in the process. Many local governments have
imposed restrictions on the number of the clownfish that can be taken
from their habitats. And, because clownfish are a big attraction with
snorkelers and scuba divers, the tourist industry has an interest in protecting them
and ensuring that they be allowed to live and breed safely on the reefs.
Sources:
**http://www.whozoo.org/Anlife99/danyaroj/clownfishindex2.htm
**http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.terrain.org
**http://www.adorinareyes.com/clownfish_many.jpg
**http://www.aquaticcritter.com/Saltwater/males_in_waiting.htm
**http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-ClownFish.htm
**http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/fish/printouts/Clownfishprintout.shtml
**http://www.netpets.com/fish/reference/saltref/brdclown2.html
**http://www.augsburg.edu/home/biology/aquaria/SpecialTopicsFiles/f_Clownfish_Perc_
w_eggs.html
**http://wonderclub.com/Wildlife/fish/clownfish.html
**http://www.whozoo.org/Anlife99/danyaroj/clownfishindex2.htm
**http://www.congopages.org/ET/DIVE%20TIMOR/DTLimages/Clownfish/images/clownfi
sh.jpg