K-12 MIT Sea Grant: Behind The Fish -- True Tales/Tails of Nemo and Friends

Blue Tang
Paracanthurus hepatus

The blue tang is a surgeonfish (family Acanthuridae) that begins life a pale yellow and gradually turns blue as it gets older. The mature fish is easily recognized by its blue body and black markings. Blue tangs feed on zooplankton and have venomous fin spines to protect themselves.

The Blue Tang lives throughout the Indo-West Pacific. In Australia it can be found on nearly the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland. View a fish collected on the 1993 Outer Great Barrier Reef fish survey.

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From http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/fishfacts/fish/phepatus.htm

Butterfly fish
Chaetodonidae

The butterfly fish is a small, flat fish that commonly swims in twos and threes. Like many fish living around the coral reef, the butterfly fish has several defense mechanisms, such as a fake "eye" spot and sharp spines along its back.

All butterfly fish have flexible, comb-like teeth and feed in a variety of ways. They use their long, thin nose to find food in tough-to-reach places. Some species have pointed mouths to suck coral polyps out of their coral skeletons, and other species have adapted to eat plankton, shrimps, sponges, and worms. Butterfly fish are often yellow, with white and black stripes and patterns. When there are a lot of butterfly fish around a reef, this means that the reef is healthy.

(http://216.168.47.67/cis-fishnet/Crest/CR16.htm)
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Moorish Idol
Moorish Idols can be temperamental in real life, too!
(http://www.islandream.com/ p_moor1.htm)



While his father Marlin and friend Dory look for little Nemo, our lost hero is transported from Australia's Great Barrier Reef to the aquarium of Dr. Phillip Sherman, dentist. Along the way, Nemo and Marlin meet all sorts of different sea creatures in the coral reef. Here are a few of the fish featured in the movie, along with information and a picture of a real-life counterpart. Nemo and Marlin \| Dory \| Tad \| Sheldon \| Gil \| Bloat \| Peach \| Bruce \| Chum
DMovie character	DReal-life fish	DDescription
Nemo (and dad Marlin)	Clownfish Clownfish hide in sea anemones thanks to a protective mucous substance (http://www.tamarindo.net/animals/animals.htm)	Clownfish (family Amphiprionidae) Clownfish are small, curious fish. They are often bright orange or black, with white bands. This fish is also known as an anemonefish because if its close relationship with anemones. The clownfish is able to live safely among the stinging tentacles of sea anemones by coating itself with a protective mucous (slimy) coating similar to that of anemones . This allows the clownfish and the sea anemone to enjoy a mutually beneficial arrangement: the clownfish gives scraps of food to the sea anemone, and the sea anemone protects the clownfish from predators with its mass of stinging tentacles.. back to top (from http://216.168.47.67/cis-fishnet/Crest/CR16.htm "Crest: Coral Reef Education for Students and teachers)

Dory	Regal (or Blue) Tang The Regal Tang is known for its energetic nature, often zipping around at high speed. http://www.angelfire.com/il2/aquaria/regaltang.html	Blue Tang Paracanthurus hepatus The blue tang is a surgeonfish (family Acanthuridae) that begins life a pale yellow and gradually turns blue as it gets older. The mature fish is easily recognized by its blue body and black markings. Blue tangs feed on zooplankton and have venomous fin spines to protect themselves. The Blue Tang lives throughout the Indo-West Pacific. In Australia it can be found on nearly the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland. View a fish collected on the 1993 Outer Great Barrier Reef fish survey. back to top From http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/fishfacts/fish/phepatus.htm

Tad	Butterfly fish The long, thin noes of the butterfly fish is handy for finding food in tough-to-reach places.	Butterfly fish Chaetodonidae The butterfly fish is a small, flat fish that commonly swims in twos and threes. Like many fish living around the coral reef, the butterfly fish has several defense mechanisms, such as a fake "eye" spot and sharp spines along its back. All butterfly fish have flexible, comb-like teeth and feed in a variety of ways. They use their long, thin nose to find food in tough-to-reach places. Some species have pointed mouths to suck coral polyps out of their coral skeletons, and other species have adapted to eat plankton, shrimps, sponges, and worms. Butterfly fish are often yellow, with white and black stripes and patterns. When there are a lot of butterfly fish around a reef, this means that the reef is healthy. (http://216.168.47.67/cis-fishnet/Crest/CR16.htm) back to top

Sheldon	Sea Horses Many types of Sea horses are capable of changing colors to match its surroundings. th(http://people.brandeis.edu/~aperez/website/ burnside/poetrysite/)	Sea Horse Seahorses have elongated bodies encased in bony rings. They live in coral reefs and sea grass beds; some live in freshwater. They like to be in sheltered areas where they can be well camouflaged. Seahorses are found all over the world. They swim upright with their tails down and their heads up. Seahorses eat small crustaceans, using a sit-and-wait strategy: basically they sit still and wait to snap at prey that comes near. With its tube-like mouth, the seahorse creates a vacuum that draws prey into its mouth. Seahorses can quickly change colors to blend in with their surroundings. Seahorses have lengthy courtships and are loyal to one partner. They can also change color while mating. The male seahorse carries the eggs in a brood pouch, where they are fertilized and incubated until they hatch. (http://www.starfish.ch/reef/seahorse.html) back to top

Gill	Moorish Idol Moorish Idols can be temperamental in real life, too! (http://www.islandream.com/ p_moor1.htm)	Moorish Idol Family: Zanclidae. The name comes from the African Moors, who, it is said, believe the fish bring happiness. The Moorish idol lives in shallow waters and can be found on reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific. The Moorish idol has a slender body and grows to about 10 inches, making it typical of many reef fish. Its body has broad bands of white, yellow, and black, and it has a beak-like mouth. In the wild, these fish prefer flat reefs; in an aquarium, they will usually stay in the bottom to middle levels of the tank. The Moorish Idol is difficult to keep; if its routine is disrupted, it will often refuse to eat, become ill and die. (http://www.petco.com/newpet/fish/species/fish-idols.asp) back to top

Bloat	Pufferfish or Blowfish The spines of a Blowfish are poisonous! http://www.cc.gatech.edu/projects/gpst/ pufferfish.jpg	Pufferfish There are at least 100 species of pufferfish, also commonly known as "blowfish." Pufferfish live in tropical waters and are only a few inches long. The name refers to the fish's ability to "puff up" by gulping water and inflating its body to around twice its normal size when threatened. This helps discourage attackers. Pufferfish are frequently confused with the porcupinefish, which can also inflate itself. While pufferfish have a prickly texture when inflated, they do not have the large, rigid spines of the similar-looking porcupinefish. back to top

Peach	Starfish The starfish has no front or back.	back to top

Bruce	Great White Shark http://users.iafrica.com/g/gr/greylamb/jaws /smile1.jpg	back to top

Chum	Mako Shark http://alcyone.ifrance.com/alcyone/ alcyon18.html	back to top

MFun Links about the Sea, Fish and Aquariums!
To learn more about Nemo's real-life world home and friends, check out these links...
	Article: Nemo's nemesis: Methods of capturing tropical fish under scrutiny by Alexander Lane. In: Newhouse News Service. Article: Clown fish farms create thousands of Nemos away from coral reef. In: Environmental Network News More About Aquariums and aquarium life: http://www.aquahobby.com/marine/ Australian Museum fish site -- fish, fish and more fish! Is there an Aquarium near you? Check to see at http://dir.yahoo.com/Science/Biology/Zoology/Zoos/Aquariums/ Free downloadable pix at NOAA's Photo Library at http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/reef/index.html All about starfish at http://www.starfish.ch/reef/ The officialFinding Nemo website -- http://www.findingnemo.com/


All images courtesy of Finding Nemo: The Essential Guide, written by Glenn Dakin, published by DK Publishing, and available at Amazon.com and dk.com.