A clownfish’s last stand
Twenty years ago, scientist and Mongabay board member Debby Ng joined a team documenting life at Terumbu Bayan, a coral reef south of Singapore that was about to be reclaimed. There she encountered a pair of false clownfish living in an anemone. The mother was unusually aggressive, even for a species known to be feisty. […]
Twenty years ago, marine biologist Debby Ng joined a team to document the life of Terumbu Bayan, a coral reef off the coast of Singapore that was scheduled for development. During a dive, she encountered a pair of false clownfish in an anemone. The mother was unusually aggressive, repeatedly charging the diver despite her size advantage.
Ng soon discovered the mother was protecting a clutch of eggs. As the team worked to salvage some corals and marine life, an alarm sounded, signaling the start of the reef's destruction. Barges began dumping sediment directly into the area where the divers had been swimming moments earlier. Although some hard corals and a tiger-tail seahorse were saved, many smaller organisms, including the clownfish family, were left behind.
Ng still vividly remembers the false clown anemonefish parents, a poignant reminder of the reef's tragic fate.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
