| Bony Fishes |
Clown Anemonefish
Amphiprion percula
| Conservation Status: Safe for Now - Protected
- Public domain per Haplochromis
- Compare the clown anemonefish
to the false clown by clicking here.
The clown anemonefish is also called the clownfish, true clownfish, and orange clownfish. Like other anemonefish, it has a symbiotic relationship with selected sea anemones that provide its habitat.
Facts and Features
- Geographic Distribution
Native to Indonesian waters of Northern Queensland, Australia and Melanesia (New Guinea, New Britain, New Ireland, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu)
- Amazing Facts
The size of the black bands that separate the orange and white portions of the clown anemonefish’s body are influenced by the species selected for its host. Clowns that live with the giant carpet anemone Stichodactyla gigantea are deeper black and much thicker than the margins of the clowns that live in the sea anemones, magnificent anemone Heteractis magnifica or leathery anemone Heteractis crispa.
- At the Aquarium
There is a special habitat for two year old juvenile clown anemonefish in the Aquarium’s Tropical Pacific Gallery. They are fed krill (a small shrimp-like animal) and pieces of finely chopped seafood. When the juveniles grow too large for this habitat, they are moved to other locations in the gallery.
