SKUNK CLOWNFISH + MORE

SKUNK CLOWNFISH

In this display observe the skunk clownfish who is a light pinkish orange color, with a single, narrow, white stripe running down its back like a skunk’s markings. An amazing fact is that all clownfish are born with female and male reproductive organs and will switch sexes depending on where they are in their lifecycle!

SWIPE RIGHT ON PHOTO FOR ANOTHER AMAZING FISH

LONGNOSE HAWKFISH

Longnose Hawkfish use their pectoral fins to sit on top of corals. Because they have no swim bladder they sink when not swimming. Therefore when not feeding they are usually sitting motionless perched on the corals watching for prey. This conserves energy. The advantage of not having a swim bladder is that they can make rapid darts upwards and downwards without having to adjust the pressure of a swim bladder.

Like the clownfish, all hawkfish are born female and have the ability to transform into males and then back to females. Hawkfish live in harems, where one dominant male mates with several females. If a male hawkfish takes on too many females, one of the larger females will change sex and take over half of the harem. Conversely, if that new male hawkfish loses a few females to other harems and was challenged by a larger male, it will revert back to female, instead of wasting precious energy fighting a losing battle.