Red clownfish

RED CLOWNFISH

• Technical Name: Amphiprion frenatus

Inhabitant of the coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific, the clownfish constitutes one of the most surprising examples of symbiosis, in this case with a theoretical predator such as the anemone. The anemones have a great number of venomous tentacles with which they paralyze and trap their prey and which, in order for one not to injure the other, secrete a chemical film which inhibits the urticant effect. The clownfish cover their bodies in this substance, which they obtain by rubbing against the base of the anemone, and in this way they are immunized against venom.
The clownfish can then live amongst the colonies of anemones and protect themselves from their predators and, by way of exchange, they consume the residues which are damaging to the anemones.