Nemo the Clownfish:
Introducing the newest addition to the Lahinch Seaworld family, Nemo.
Nemo is an orange clownfish, just like the character in the Disney animated classic Finding Nemo.
Clownfish are so named due to their vibrant colours, they are not native to Irish waters,
but are instead found in tropical seas where coral reefs are found.
Clownfish & Sea Anemones.
In the animated feature, Finding Nemo, Nemo and his father live inside a sea anemone and
Nemo's father always tells Nemo to be careful when he goes outside. In the wild, clownfish do, in fact,
live inside sea anemones with whom
they have evolved a mutually-beneficial relationship. The anemone gets cleaned
by the clownfish and feeds upon the particles of food the clownfish leaves behind. The clownfish also helps chase away
the anemone's predators and the anemone, meanwhile, with its stinging tentacles deters the predators of the clownfish.
The clownfish is, itself, immune to these stings as it has evolved its own protection against them.
Diet:
Clownfish feed on algae, plankton and other micro-organisms which float by or grow on the anemones themselves,
as well as worms and tiny arthropods.
Size:
Adult clownfish grow to a length of around seven to eight centimetres in length and weigh
approximately 30 grams, not all that different to that of a domestic goldfish.