What is Fauna?
On the other hand, Fauna is the name given to collective animal life that lives or once inhabited a certain area or time period. A vast variety organisms like to live on coral reefs because they provide essential shelter and food. To escape from predators and dangers, animals can easily hide within cracks and crevices in the reef created by corals. Nearly every organisms in the coral reef is food for another organism, and together they make up a complex and intricate food web. Scientists are still discovering new species in coral reefs, which means that no one knows exactly how many creatures live in the coral reef biome! An example of an fauna is the clown fish.
Clown fish (also known as the Clown Anemone-fish) are one of the most well known species know to live in the coral reef. It inhabits the more warm waters of the tropical Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Red sea, and Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Clown fish and sea anemones share a mutual relationship to help each other adapt to the coral reef. The anemone's tentacles would kill other fish that touch them, but the clown fish seems to be immune to its poison. Before a clown fish can call an anemone its home, it has to get comfortable. The fish begins by gently touching the anemone's tentacles over several hours or days, until the fish forms a layer of mucus that is resistant to the stings. The anemone protects the clown fish from most predators, who would not go near the anemone's tentacles and also provide them plenty of food. The clown fish helps the anemone by cleaning it, eating away excess algae and dead tentacles, and providing better water circulation because the clown fish fan their fins while swimming near the anemone. The clown fish could also lure other animals to the anemone, which helps feed it.
|