Weird Clownfish Facts (for a 6-year-old)

Clownfish are small, bright, and really funny sea fish. Here are some weird and amazing things about them that kids love:

• They live in stinging anemones. Anemones have stinging tentacles, but clownfish wear a special slimy coat that stops the sting. So the clownfish can hide and sleep safely inside.
• They can change from boy to girl. Clownfish babies are born all as boys. The biggest fish in a group can become a girl if the old girl goes away. That helps the group keep having babies.
• They help their anemone friend. Clownfish bring food bits to the anemone and wag their fins to make water flow. The anemone gets food and the clownfish get shelter — they help each other.
• They make popping and clicking sounds. Clownfish talk with little pops and clicks to say hello or tell others what to do.
• The papa fish is a very good dad. The daddy clownfish guards the eggs, cleans them, and blows on them so they get air until baby fish hatch.
• They lay eggs on flat rocks near the anemone. The mommy lays many tiny eggs in a neat patch and the daddy watches them every day.
• Not all clownfish look the same. Some are orange with white stripes (like Nemo), but others can be yellow, black, or have different stripe patterns.
• They are picky about homes. A clownfish will only live with certain types of anemones — kind of like choosing the right bed!

Step-by-step: How a clownfish becomes friends with an anemone

1. At first the clownfish stays near the anemone.
2. It gently touches the anemone with its fins and body a little bit at a time.
3. The anemone gets used to the clownfish and stops stinging it.
4. Now the clownfish can live safely inside the anemone and they are friends.

Which fact do you like best? Try drawing a clownfish in its anemone bed — bright orange with white stripes!