clownfish

Description:

clownfish in symbiotic relationship with sea anemone

Habitat:

near shore sub-tropical coral reef ecosystem

Notes:

spotted off the west coast of Okinawa; clownfish are immune to anemone stings, shelter within the anemone; seeing a predator, the clownfish swims out, teases the bigger fish (behavior shown in the third and fourth images of this spotting), induces it to chase the clownfish into the anemone where the predator, not immune, is stung to death; the anemone enjoys dinner--and the clownfish has paid its rent; the spotting date is an estimate (and this spotting is actually three, in the same reef area, on two different dates); both dates were probably in June and were certainly within a month of the listed date; original medium 35mm slide (1st, 3rd and 4th images) or photoprint (2nd image); film/print subsequently scanned and images saved as digital files