Clownfish survive heat waves by shrinking, study reveals

The curious case of the shrinking clownfish

During a severe heat wave in 2023, scientists scuba diving off the coast of Papua New Guinea captured clownfish to measure their bodies. Between February and August, they calculated the length of 134 of these iconic, orange and white fish once a month, taking a total of six measurements for each fish. Those measurements revealed something peculiar: Most of the fish shrank. This week, the researchers reported their findings in Science Advances, c…

An extreme ocean heat wave did something remarkable to these fish

Rising temperatures in the ocean can cause clownfish, which live in anemones, to get smaller. It’s a survival strategy that may help them cope with climate change.

Clownfish shrink to survive heat waves

NEW YORK — To survive warming oceans, clownfish cope by shrinking in size.

Clownfish Shrink Down Their Bodies to Survive Ocean Heat Waves, New Study Suggests

The adaptation appears to help the fish cope with high temperatures, since individuals and breeding pairs that shrank improved their survival odds

According to a study, clown fish begin to shrink in heat waves in the sea, thus improving the survival chances of fish living in the Indo-Pacific coral reefs, as reported by a team of researchers.

‘Shrinking Nemo’: Study finds clownfish can shrink to survive higher sea temperatures

Clownfish, a small orange and white species made famous by the “Finding Nemo” movies, have been found to shrink in order to boost their chances of surviving marine heat waves, according to a new study.