Spine-cheeked anemonefish 2 Jul 2025

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. This fish 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. It thrives in warm, shallow waters and sticks close to its chosen sea anemone.

© Fred Bavendam/Nature Picture Library

palette

Today in History

Were halfway there
Halfway there
2 Jul 2024Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival

More Desktop Wallpapers:

City of ice
10 Dec 2023Sand dunes in the Sahara, Algeria
16 Nov 2024Wadden Sea coast, Friesland, Netherlands
Lighting up the Dolomites
Will we be ready for the ‘big one?’
24 Jul 2024Cousins Day
Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022)
Sep 4, 2023Labor Day
9 Jan 2025Sossusvlei sand dunes, Namib desert, Namibia
A scented sea of purple
Connecting the dots
11 Jan 2024Eurasian lynx
17 Jun 2024Green-crowned brilliant hummingbird
5 Feb 2024Northern hawk-owl
23 Jun 2024Dhaka, Bangladesh
16 Jan 2024Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
2 Apr 2025Sandstone formations in the badlands near Caineville, Utah, United States
17 Nov 2024Red deer stag in Glen Affric, Scotland
The world’s greatest oasis?
4 Nov 2023Playa del Silencio, Spain
A prehistoric pavement
Sep 9, 2023Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand
1 Dec 2024Antarctica Day
23 Sep 2024Sea otter
Have a merry little Christmas
27 Jul 2024Cowes Week
Bright blue lakes and rugged mountains
Happy 70th to the North York Moors
11 Apr 2024Dragon waterfall, Venezuela
Stones on the solstice