What is an anemonefish?
Anemonefish are exquisite little fish in the tropical damselfish family. They are popular pets in aquariums, and were the main characters in the animated Disney film ‘Finding Nemo’. They actually “bathe” in the stinging tentacles of large sea anemones to gain protection from larger predators. Special chemicals in the mucous that coats the skin of anemonefish prevent them from being stung. What do they look like? There are several different species but almost all of them have bold stripes and all are brightly coloured in various combinations of orange, black and white, and have rounded fins. Some species have a maximum length of only 7.5 centimetres, whereas other may sometimes reach 16 centimetres long. Where do they live? Anemonefish are found throughout the warmer waters of Western Australia, from the Houtman Abrolhos Islands offshore from Geraldton and to the north. They live in Shark Bay Marine Park, Ningaloo Marine Park (where you can see them when snorkelling close to the shore),
