Common Clown Fish

common clown fish, (Amphiprion ocellaris), also called clown anemone fish, false clown fish, or false percula, species of anemone fish best known for its striking orange and white coloration and its mutualism with certain species of sea anemones. The common clown fish is found on coral reefs in the tropical Pacific and Indian oceans from northwestern Australia, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia to Taiwan and Japan’s Ryukyu Islands. The species achieved popular recognition through its depiction in the animated feature film Finding Nemo (2003).

The orange coloration on the body is broken up by three white bands with thin black borders. Most individuals also have 11 dorsal fin spines, a characteristic that often is used to distinguish the species from the orange clown anemone fish (Amphiprion percula), which is nearly identical. The common clown fish also has a muddy brown ring around the pupil of the eye, whereas the ring in the pupil of the orange clown anemone fish is clear. Common clown fish can grow to 11 cm (about 4 inches) in length.

The diet of the common clown fish is largely made up of algae and small invertebrates (such as zooplankton and marine isopods); however, parts of organisms killed by the host anemone, as well as cast-off parts of the anemone itself, are also consumed.