Anemonefishes and host anemones

Staff · Issue 4, Jan 2002 · pp. 32–33

Products mentioned: Nikonos V, Ocean Optics close up lens, Ikelite substrobe 200, Velvia

Anemonefishes and host anemones are a favourite subject of the underwater photographer. Fascinating to watch, either in their native habitat or in an aquarium, anemonefish dive into the arms of their host anemone immune to its deadly sting. Anemonefish are evocative of the world underwater, colourful delegates of the ocean. How do they do it? Why do they do it? And why does the sea anemone allow them to live within its deadly embrace? The answers to these questions can be found in deadly boring scientific papers suitable for reading only when suffering from severe insomnia. With some luck you can learn more about anemonefish in this article (without falling asleep!). And as is true with any other wildlife subject, the more you know about the animal on the other end of your camera the better your chances of getting a good photograph. First, a little information about sea anemones. There a…