All Tucked In: Clownfish in a Carpet Anemone Mantle

Orange Skunk Clownfish (Amphiprion sandaracinos)

by B. N. Sullivan

This cute little fish really didn't want to have its picture taken.  It was hovering above the tentacles of a carpet anemone when we first spotted it, but as we approached, the fish dived under the anemone's mantle to hide.

I settled in at close range, selected the settings on my camera, and just waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally the little clownfish peeked out (as we knew it would) and I got my shot.

The fish is an Orange Skunk Clownfish (Amphiprion sandaracinos). I'm not sure of the anemone species, but I believe it belongs to the genus Stichodactyla. I took the photo at  Pulau Mantehage, one of the islands in Bunaken National Park, a marine park in Indonesia.