The bands of clownfish have become familiar to us. Its development is much less so. The Monterey Bay Aquarium explains that a male can become female during its growth. The reproductive sex of this animal is therefore not necessarily fixed identically throughout its existence.
This change belongs to his biology. It should not be confused with an instantaneous, voluntary change, or with a faculty common to all fish. The same word can also cover different mechanisms in other marine species.
The astonishment comes from this diversity: observing a familiar species may require a revision of a rule that was thought to be universal. The anemone and the orange fish form a known image; the reproductive journey that takes place behind this image reveals another way of organizing life. We understand why biologists take care to specify what fish they are talking about.
What we know
Male to female change in clownfish; not a property of all fish.
To go to the source
References consulted on September 21, 2026. Linked pages may be in another language.
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