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Males to Female- Protandry Hermaphrodites
Males to Female- Protandry Hermaphrodites
If you look at a group of anemonefish, which are often known as clownfish you will see one large female fish and a number of smaller male within the anemone. Think about the story Finding Nemo before Nemo’s mother is eaten. The bigger female is the boss in the relationship – it’s her job to defend the territory while the male cares for the eggs. This female may live up to 30 years in the same anemone often with a bunch of juvenile males in attendance. If the female is killed, it triggers one of the males to transform into the new dominant female. Before this dominant male starts to physically change to a female it becomes more aggressive and territorial. The physical change can take from a few weeks to a couple of months. So now the reverse
Females to Males- Protogyny Hermaphrodites
Many parrotfish live in a group called a harem.
The dominant fish is a male.
The dominant male is often brightly colored, larger and territorial. When the dominant male is killed or dies, the dominant female begins its 2-3 week change into the terminal male in the group. Other fish that do this are hawkfish, many wrasses, grouper, cardinalfish, angelfish and gobies. I hope this helps to unlock some more secrets of the underwater realm , showcasing the spectacular transition from gender to gender. If you think hard, the real story of Nemo would be different when Nemo’s mother was killed by a barracuda. The father would be changing to a female and would need to protect the family at the anemone.