Is Nemo A Meanie? Clownfish Stripes Predict Aggressiveness

Dazzling colors and color patterns evolved as visual signals that operate over short distances. The most diverse pigment cell types of any vertebrate group are found in tropical fishes, and they create an exhilarating variety of color patterns such as bars, stripes and spots (<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tig.2019.01.006" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">ref</a>). This riotous visual variety is particularly effective in the excellent lighting and crystal-clear waters found in coral reefs, where the fishes living there rely on these colors and markings for camouflage, mimicry, individual and species identification, courtship and other social interactions. And yet, even though competition and cooperation within the coral reef community are established using visual signals, we still don’t know how particular colors and color patterns affect these interactions between coral reef species. <a href="https://medium.com/gardening-birding-and-outdoor-adventure/is-nemo-a-meanie-clownfish-stripes-predict-aggressiveness-cb8a01c38e0c">Learn More</a>