Tomato clownfish

The fish’s bright reddish-brown color becomes deeper starting from the rear part of the gill cover. Behind the eye, a white vertical stripe edged with black runs across the gill cover. Juveniles have an additional stripe on their sides. Females are slightly larger than males. During the breeding season, they live in pairs. Males guard, clean, and fan the eggs with fresh, oxygen-rich water. Like other clownfish species, they live in symbiosis with sea anemones, which belong to the phylum Cnidaria. The sea anemone does not kill or consume its tenant because it accumulates the anemone’s scent and other substances in its thick mucus layer, causing the anemone to perceive the fish as part of itself. Research shows that it is not only the anemone that provides protection for the fish. Sea anemones without tenants fell victim to predatory fish much more frequently than those harboring clownfish, as these brave residents drove away even fish much larger than themselves.