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FISH FACTS
Greetings!
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THE TRUTH ABOUT NEMO!
In the popular movie "Finding Nemo", the title
character's mother and the unhatched eggs that
would have been Nemo's siblings are eaten by a
barracuda. Nemo's father, Marlin, then worries about
protecting his only offspring. While cute, the movie
ignores the facts.
Nemo and Marlin are
clownfish, Premnas biaculeatus, which are
protandrous hermaphrodites. Hermaphrodites are
individuals with both male and female reproductive
organs during their life span. Synchronous
hermaphrodites have both active at the same time.
Earthworms are a well known example of this.
Sequential hermaphrodites may have both types of
reproductive organs, with only one functional at a
time, or they may completely convert their gonads
from one sex to the other. Protandrous
hermaphrodites are sequential hermaphrodites that
develop into males first, then may change to females
later.
Clownfish live in groups consisting of a large female,
a smaller male, and several small, non-spawning fish,
closely associated with a sea anemone. The sea
anemone provides the fish with food and the fish
keep the anemone clean. If the female dies or is
removed, the male develops into a female and one of
the smaller fish develops into a functioning
male.
So, If Nemo's mother died, his father Marlin would
have become Nemo's new mother!
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