Spine-cheeked anemonefish in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea Jul 2, 2025

Spine-cheeked anemonefish in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea

That bright fish hiding in the anemone? That"s the spine-cheeked anemonefish, or the maroon clownfish, and it is not just a cute creature. Native to the Indo-Pacific, from western Indonesia to Taiwan and the Great Barrier Reef, this species lives on the edges of coral reefs. It is easily distinguished by the spine extending from each cheek—hence the name. Groups of spine-cheeked anemonefish form around a single dominant female, and if she disappears, the top male steps up—literally changing sex to take her place. Spine-cheeked anemonefish thrive in warm, shallow waters and stick close to their chosen sea anemone.

© Fred Bavendam/Nature Picture Library

palette

Today in History

Jul 2, 2018Keep watching the skies
Jul 2, 2019Sequential images of a total solar eclipse
Jul 2, 2020All Rhodes lead to the beach
Jul 2, 2021A meerkat stands alone
Jul 2, 2022Halfway Day
Jul 2, 2023Its Halfway Day!
Jul 2, 2024The ruins of Italica, Andalusia, Spain

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Dec 16, 2019Cape Town at dusk
Jul 4, 2021Happy Independence Day!
Aug 7, 2024St. Joseph North Pier Inner and Outer Lights, Michigan
Aug 9, 2019In the Supertree Grove
Oct 26, 2023Schönbrunn Palace Park, Vienna, Austria
Jun 4, 2020A bridge too Fawr
Apr 26, 2025Redwood National and State Parks, California
Jan 10, 2024Take the Stairs Day
May 14, 2024Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico
Dec 6, 2018The owl that loved football
Feb 10, 2025National Umbrella Day
Jul 22, 2025Badlands National Park in South Dakota
Mar 18, 2018Christmas Tree Point Road and Twin Peaks, San Francisco
Mar 15, 2026Pacific Rim Whale Festival
Jul 9, 2022Dolomites
Oct 14, 2025Village of Oia in Santorini, Greece
Feb 18, 2026Przewalskis horses
Jun 22, 2020Pollinators: not to be sneezed at
Jul 26, 2021The dancing trees of Sumba Island
May 9, 2024Tulips at Emirgan Park in Istanbul, Türkiye
Oct 22, 2022Guilin and Lijiang River National Park, China
Apr 20, 2025Happy Easter!
Dec 13, 2022Hallstatt, Austria
Jul 6, 2025Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park, California
Nov 7, 2021Mack Arch Rock
Dec 10, 2019Congratulations, 2019 Nobel Prize laureates!
Aug 23, 2025St. Barbaras Cathedral, Kutná Hora, Czechia
Aug 11, 2024Wooden path to Kennedy Lake, Vancouver Island, Canada
Dec 1, 2020Giving Tuesday
Oct 31, 2021Happy Halloween!