Josie+Krogh+-+Clown+Fish

=Clownfish: Amphiprion Species=

**Habitat and Location**

They live in warm waters in the Pacific and Indian Ocean, Northwest Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Indo-Malaysian region. Clownfish live in anemones, with which they have a mutualistic symbiotic relationship. They have a symbiotic mutualism relationship with the anemones they live in. While the tentacles of anemones sting other animals, the clownfish are impervious to their sting because of a special mucus that covers their body. The clownfish provide protection from polyp-eating fish for the anemone and the anemone uses the clownfishes' feces as fertilizer, in turn the anemone provides protection from predators for the clownfish. (Anemones and Clownfish)

Clownfish are small fish that are generally from two to five inches long. They vary in coloring and can be anywhere between red, yellow, brown, orange and many are spotted or striped. (Clownfish)  Clownfish are hermaphrodites and are all born male and eventually change into females. Clownfishes are omnivores, which means they eat plants and animals. The main components of the clownfishes' dies are, copepods, algae, isopods, and zooplankton. In each small group of clownfish there are two breeding clownfish and several other male fish. (Clownfish Biology) Once the female fish dies the head male fish changes into a female and one of the pre-pubescent takes the head males position. (John Tolluck)

**Population Expansion**

The Clownfish would be a suitable replacement for the Slender Seahorse if it went extinct because of the similarities between these animals. Both animals live in coral reefs, have the same life span, have symbiotic relationships with plants in their habitat, and eat zooplankton. The Clownfish has a symbiotic relationship with anemones, and the Slender Seahorse has a symbiotic relationship with the plants they attach to. The two animals are also similar in appearance, they have similar coloring and are about the same size.

**Species in Competition**

Due to the recent popularity of clownfish from the movie "Finding Nemo" the demand for clownfish has dramatically risen. This means that more and more of these animals are being taken from their natural environments to be sold in pet stores. Clownfish have a higher life expectancy in the wild and are important for their ecosystem and the health of the anemones they live in. (Clownfish) A study found that sites where the humans were not allowed to collect Clownfish or anemones had a Clownfish population 25 times higher than where people were allowed to collect species. Due to this recent discovery it is expected that tighter restrictions on the collection of Clownfish are soon to come, which will help to increase their population. (Clownfish Decline) The Slender Seahorse's population decline is not known due to the elusiveness of the Seahorses. But, it is safe to say that they are declining at a more rapid than the Clownfish are which is why Clownfish should take their place.