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Ocellaris ClownfishAmphiprion ocellaris

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Ocellaris Clownfish profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 43 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Aquarium of the Pacific

Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris). Aquarium of the Pacific.

The page saysabout 8 cm long
The source saysthe average length is 8 cm (3.15 in)Note: tagline
The page saysshelters among stinging anemone tentacles
The source saysClownfish live on coastal seaward reefs ... They have three anemone hostsNote: tagline; stinging from the page's 'anemone's stinging cells, its nematocysts'
The page sayswhere the breeding male turns female if the female is lost
The source saysShould something happen to the female, the male of the breeding pair changes to a femaleNote: tagline
The page saysCoastal reefs and sheltered lagoons from the Andaman Sea to northwest Australia, the Philippines and southwest Japan
The source saysNative to the Andaman Sea to Northwest Australia, central Indonesia and the Philippines, and southwest Japan.Note: stats.habitat
The page saysCoastal reefs and sheltered lagoons
The source saysClownfish live on coastal seaward reefs and in shallow and sheltered lagoonsNote: stats.habitat
The page saysliving among sea anemones
The source saysThey have three anemone hosts on which there are dependentNote: stats.habitat
The page saysZooplankton, bottom-dwelling invertebrates and algae
The source saysThey feed primarily on zooplankton but also eat bottom dwelling invertebrates, and algaeNote: stats.diet
The page saysa male can change sex to become the breeding female
The source saysShould something happen to the female, the male of the breeding pair changes to a female, rapidly increasing in size.Note: stats.superpower
The page saysMale first, female later
The source saysthey all mature as males but have the ability to change their sex to femaleNote: heading
The page saysEvery ocellaris clownfish matures as a male, and any of them can later turn female.
The source saysthey all mature as males but have the ability to change their sex to female
The page saysBiologists call that being a protandrous hermaphrodite.
The source saysClownfish are protandrous hermaphrodites
The page saysOne host anemone typically holds a breeding pair plus up to four juveniles that do not breed.
The source saysA typical harem living in the host anemone consists of a breeding pair and up to four juveniles (non-breeders).
The page saysThe bigger fish of the pair is the female.
The source saysThe larger fish of the pair is the female.
The page saysShe stops her mate from turning female, and he stops the juveniles from maturing into males.
The source saysShe controls the dominant male from becoming a female while he controls the juveniles from becoming mature males.
The page saysLose the female and the group reshuffles. Her mate changes sex and rapidly grows
The source saysShould something happen to the female, the male of the breeding pair changes to a female, rapidly increasing in size.
The page saysthe next largest male usually becomes the new breeding male.
The source saysThe next largest male usually becomes the breeding male.
The page saysOnce the eggs are laid, the male tends the nest for six to seven days, rarely helped by the female.
The source saysThe male swims behind the female and fertilizes the eggs. Between 100 and 1000 eggs are laid in several spawning passes, the number depending on the age of the female. Older females lay more eggs.. The initial pink to orange coloration of the eggs will gradually change to a dull gray or brown and shortly before hatching, to silver. For the next six to seven days the male tends the nest rarely helped by the female.Note: 'once the eggs are laid' is the source's sequence: egg-laying is described, then 'for the next six to seven days'
The page saysHe fans the eggs with his pectoral fins to aerate them and sweep off settled debris, eats any that are infertile or damaged, and aggressively chases off predators.
The source saysHe fans the eggs with his pectoral fins to aerate and clean them of settled debris, eats any that are infertile or damaged, and aggressively chases away predators.
The page saysThe average length is 8 cm (3.15 in), and the species can reach 11 cm (4.3 in).
The source saysThese fish can grow to a length of 11 cm (4.3 in); however, the average length is 8 cm (3.15 in).
The page saysA clownfish lives about 8 years in the wild, and 12 years or more in a protected environment.
The source saysClownfish live about 8 years in the wild and 12 years or more in a protected environment.
The page saysOver-collecting for the aquarium trade has hit populations in some areas
The source saysOver-collection of this species for the aquarium trade has impacted the populations in some areas.
The page saysIt is native from the Andaman Sea to northwest Australia, central Indonesia, the Philippines and southwest Japan.
The source saysNative to the Andaman Sea to Northwest Australia, central Indonesia and the Philippines, and southwest Japan.
The page saysIt lives on coastal seaward reefs and in shallow, sheltered lagoons at depths of 1 to 12 m (3.3 to 39.3 ft)
The source saysClownfish live on coastal seaward reefs and in shallow and sheltered lagoons at depths of 1-12 m (3.3-39.3 ft).
The page saysit depends on three host anemones: the magnificent anemone, the leathery anemone and the giant carpet anemone.
The source saysThey have three anemone hosts on which there are dependent—outer reefs: magnificent anemone Heteractis magnifica and leathery anemone Heteractis crispa , and on shore reefs: giant carpet anemone Stichodactyla gigantea .
The page saysIt rarely strays more than 30 cm (12 in) from its host.
The source saysThey rarely move more than 30 cm (12 in) from the protection of their host anemone.
The page saysAn anemone's stinging cells are called nematocysts.
The source saysthe anemone’s stinging cells, its nematocysts
The page saysSome researchers believe the fish's mucus coat has a special biochemical makeup, so the anemone fails to recognize it as food and does not fire.
The source saysSome researchers believe that the mucus layer covering an clownfish’s body has a special biochemical makeup that provides the fish with protection from the anemone’s stinging cells, its nematocysts. It is believed the anemone fails to recognize the fish as a food source because of this chemical composition so it does not fire its nematocysts.
The page saysOthers theorize the mucus carries the same chemical signature as the host itself.
The source saysOther researchers theorize the mucus contains the same chemical signature as the host anemone so that the stinging cells never fire.
The page saysWhat is known is that a clownfish away from its host for a while has to re-adapt to the stings.
The source saysIt is known that if an clownfish leaves its host for a period of time, it has to re-adapt to the host stinging cells.
The page saysOn its return it performs a dance-like ritual, touching the tentacles first with only its ventral fins, then its whole belly.
The source saysthe fish returning to the host goes through an elaborate dance-like ritual. It tentatively touches the anemone’s tentacles with only its ventral fins, then its entire belly.
The page saysAcclimation takes several hours.
The source saysAcclimation takes several hours.
The page saysIts diet is mostly zooplankton (tiny drifting animals), with bottom-dwelling invertebrates and algae on the side.
The source saysThey feed primarily on zooplankton but also eat bottom dwelling invertebrates, and algaeNote: 'tiny drifting animals' is a plain gloss of zooplankton
The page saysNot by catching food for it, whatever popular belief says.
The source saysContrary to popular belief, they do not capture food for the anemone.
The page saysthe anemone uses the fish's nitrogenous waste as food.
The source saysprovide nitrogenous waste that the anemone uses as food.
The page saysThe fish also aerates the water around the tentacles and clears waste from the anemone's oral disc.
The source saysThese fish aerate the water around the tentacle of their host anemone, remove waste from its oral disc
The page saysProbably by smell. Juveniles find the same host anemones their parents preferred, and researchers believe an odor imprinted while they were eggs, in a nest close to the host, is what guides them.
The source saysThe ability of juvenile clownfishes to locate the same host anemones preferred by their parents is believed to be due to an olfactory (smell) stimulus imprinted at the time of egg incubation. The eggs in the nest site located close to the host anemone.
The page saysIf one finds a host before a predator eats it or the current residents chase it off, it becomes the youngest and lowest-ranking member of the group.
The source saysIf lucky enough to find one before being consumed by a predator or chased by the anemone’s current inhabitants, they will become the youngest and lowest member of a community
The page saysAnywhere from 100 to 1000, spread over several spawning passes, and older females lay more.
The source saysBetween 100 and 1000 eggs are laid in several spawning passes, the number depending on the age of the female. Older females lay more eggs.
The page saysThe eggs start pink to orange, fade to a dull gray or brown, and turn silver shortly before they hatch.
The source saysThe initial pink to orange coloration of the eggs will gradually change to a dull gray or brown and shortly before hatching, to silver.
The page saysA clownfish returning to its anemone touches the tentacles first with only its ventral fins, then its whole belly, and acclimation takes several hours.
The source saysIt tentatively touches the anemone’s tentacles with only its ventral fins, then its entire belly.Note: vibe.reason

Source
02

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Amphiprion ocellaris (Clown anemonefish). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysShelters among a stinging anemone's tentacles
The source saysThese fish are dependent upon the anemone for shelter.Note: stats.superpower

Source
03

Allen et al. 2022

Allen et al. (2022). Amphiprion ocellaris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T188321A1857718.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).Note: stats.conservationStatus; category read through GBIF's copy of the Red List
The page saysthe IUCN Red List rates the species Least Concern.
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.