Clownfish
are quite a chatty bunch of fish, making peeps, clicks, and pop noises
to reinforce their social status and home. Social status is critical for
clownfish, since their gender, livelihood, and chance of reproducing
depend on it. The largest, most aggressive female is at the top of the
social hierarchy, who selects a male to be her mate. If the female dies,
the male becomes a female and tak
es her
place, and selects a mate from the lineup of smaller males, who all move
up one place on the social ladder. This sort of social behavior demands
strict order, and female clownfish will continually sound to keep the
others in line.
The way a clownfish creates sound is quite
unique. As the fish opens its jaws in a particular way, special
ligaments on the jaw quickly snaps the jaw shut, making the clownfish's
teeth bang together. Making noise would normally invite predators, but
since clownfish normally make their homes out of anemones, who would
sting any invaders, they can be as loud as they please.
However, clownfish make different noises depending on their size and
rank, and they are the only members of the family Pomacentridae that do
not make sound while engaging in reproductive behavior. Rather than
wasting energy on calling to find a mate (since there are no
competitors), they stick together and make sounds based on their size.
Larger fish will make lower frequency sounds, and tend to make loud
aggressive pops while charging to assert dominance. Smaller fish make a
higher frequency, static-like sound, which are categorized as submissive
sounds. It is also hypothesized that each clownfish has its own
distinct "voice" that differs from the others in its group, so they may
tell each other apart.
It's easy to overlook fish as chatty
animals, but clownfish are extremely noisy. Their ability to talk their
way out of conflict instead of physically engaging each other is a great
way to conserve energy, and sets them apart from many other fish.
Sources:
http://www.plosone.org/
http://phys.org/news/
http://www.npr.org/templates/
Clownfish
are quite a chatty bunch of fish, making peeps, clicks, and pop noises
to reinforce their social status and home. Social status is critical for
clownfish, since their gender, livelihood, and chance of reproducing
depend on it. The largest, most aggressive female is at the top of the
social hierarchy, who selects a male to be her mate. If the female dies,
the male becomes a female and tak
es her
place, and selects a mate from the lineup of smaller males, who all move
up one place on the social ladder. This sort of social behavior demands
strict order, and female clownfish will continually sound to keep the
others in line.
The way a clownfish creates sound is quite unique. As the fish opens its jaws in a particular way, special ligaments on the jaw quickly snaps the jaw shut, making the clownfish's teeth bang together. Making noise would normally invite predators, but since clownfish normally make their homes out of anemones, who would sting any invaders, they can be as loud as they please.
However, clownfish make different noises depending on their size and rank, and they are the only members of the family Pomacentridae that do not make sound while engaging in reproductive behavior. Rather than wasting energy on calling to find a mate (since there are no competitors), they stick together and make sounds based on their size. Larger fish will make lower frequency sounds, and tend to make loud aggressive pops while charging to assert dominance. Smaller fish make a higher frequency, static-like sound, which are categorized as submissive sounds. It is also hypothesized that each clownfish has its own distinct "voice" that differs from the others in its group, so they may tell each other apart.
It's easy to overlook fish as chatty animals, but clownfish are extremely noisy. Their ability to talk their way out of conflict instead of physically engaging each other is a great way to conserve energy, and sets them apart from many other fish.
Sources:
http://www.plosone.org/
http://phys.org/news/
http://www.npr.org/templates/
The way a clownfish creates sound is quite unique. As the fish opens its jaws in a particular way, special ligaments on the jaw quickly snaps the jaw shut, making the clownfish's teeth bang together. Making noise would normally invite predators, but since clownfish normally make their homes out of anemones, who would sting any invaders, they can be as loud as they please.
However, clownfish make different noises depending on their size and rank, and they are the only members of the family Pomacentridae that do not make sound while engaging in reproductive behavior. Rather than wasting energy on calling to find a mate (since there are no competitors), they stick together and make sounds based on their size. Larger fish will make lower frequency sounds, and tend to make loud aggressive pops while charging to assert dominance. Smaller fish make a higher frequency, static-like sound, which are categorized as submissive sounds. It is also hypothesized that each clownfish has its own distinct "voice" that differs from the others in its group, so they may tell each other apart.
It's easy to overlook fish as chatty animals, but clownfish are extremely noisy. Their ability to talk their way out of conflict instead of physically engaging each other is a great way to conserve energy, and sets them apart from many other fish.
Sources:
http://www.plosone.org/
http://phys.org/news/
http://www.npr.org/templates/
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