Huh, weird, but interesting

[Missy]

I know this is going to be a weird post. With the heightened popularity of clownfish brought about by the new movie "Finding Nemo" pet stores are selling these little fishies faster than ever. I found a story that gives an interesting factoid about them. I found it at "MSN Today". I wish I knew how to quote from a news article, but so far haven't figured it out, so I have to cut and paste:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Clownfish can change gender, studies find;

CLOWNFISH, the aquarium pet of choice since the release of the animated movie, live in such a rigid social structure in the wild that if one of the dominant breeding adults is removed, the size, status and even sex of the other clownfish change rapidly to return the group to the status quo.
“If the female of the group dies, the male changes sex and becomes the breeding female,” said Cornell University evolutionary biologist Peter Buston, “while the largest non-breeder becomes the breeding male.”
Some other species of fish are known to do the same thing.
The study of the exotic reef dwellers, named for their outrageous colors, appears in Thursday’s issue of the journal Nature.
Buston observed 97 groups of clownfish living on reefs in Papua New Guinea.
Buston did not address how the fish change sex.


http://www.msnbc.com/news/936766.asp

I thought it was an interesting pet factoid. Hope noone found it offensive as a post.

[Darlene]

Your right Melissa, that's wierd but interesting. Not offensive at all. I love picking up bits & pieces of all kinds of info, never know when it may come in handy.

[captclearance]

I knew there where fish and insects that could do that..... It is very interesting !!!!!! Thanks Melissa !!!!!!