ocean
A little orange and white striped fish swims happily among the wavy, stinging arms of a sea anemone that would hurt almost any other fish.
The clownfish is the fish famous for living safely among the stinging arms of a sea anemone. Clownfish have a special mucus coating on their skin that makes them immune to the anemone's sting, letting them dart in and out of the tentacles for protection from predators, while most other fish that touch an anemone get stung and driven away.
An angelfish and an eel don't have this special protective coating and don't live nestled inside anemone tentacles, they occupy completely different spots on the reef and rely on different survival strategies.
This partnership benefits both sides: the clownfish gets a safe hiding spot from predators, while the anemone gets protection too, since clownfish will aggressively chase away other fish, including some that might otherwise nibble on the anemone itself.
ocean
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