The most dominant male becomes female if necessary.
A lot of
people know the famous clown anemone-fish, known as clownfish. These orange and
white fishes live together in reefs and most of them are small. Almost 4.3
inches (11 centimeters) is their regular size. However, a couple of them are slightly
bigger than the others. Naturally all clownfish are born male, but they have hermaphrodite’s
features. Only one female is allowed on each group at the same time and only
the most aggressive male of the group can breed with her. When the unique
female dies, the actual male who was allowed to breed turn himself as the new
female of the group and the most aggressive male available fill that spot. This
change of genre is irreversible. The rest of the males in the area are not
allowed to breed with the available female.
This
changing process is a peculiar ability this fish has. When the female dies, the
actual dominate male gain weight and size. Now as female, this fish will breed
with the most dominant male available until something happens to one or the
other. Those fishes lay thousands of eggs near to their anemone which they use
as home. Some theories state that this ability happens because clownfish do not
use to leave their anemones, so it would be hard to find breeding partners.
Sources: Huffington post, National Geographic and Today I found out
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