When Pixar’s Finding Nemo was released in 2003, it unleashed a tidal wave of demand for the cute orange clownfish, the species that the character Nemo is based on. Sales of clownfish rose as much as 40%, according to some estimates. Some scientists were concerned that the population of the fish would be severely depleted if too many were caught in the wild. Aquarists, however, soon figured out how to breed clownfish in captivity, reducing the impact of lots of them being taken from coral reefs.
Now, scientists are bracing for Nemo’s sequel, Finding Dory, which will be released on June 17. Dory is a blue tang. Unlike the clownfish, scientists and aquarists have not been able to breed the blue tang in captivity so far. That’s led to worries that now this species could face severe pressure from overcollecting on reefs (primarily in the Indo-Pacific, one of the world’s top sources for wild tropical fish), if movie viewers turn out to be as interested in owning pet blue tangs as they were in owning clownfish.
Regal blue tangs (the name we’re going with in this article) are identified by their bright blue coloring, oval bodies and yellow, flag-shaped tails. Their pectoral fins are also yellow. Adults have a narrow line of dark blue along their dorsal fin that curves back at the tail. Its resemblance to the numeral 6 gives the fish one of its descriptive names.
Coloration changes as regal blue tangs mature, according to the Animal Diversity Web (ADW). Though in “Finding Dory,” baby Dory was blue with a yellow tail, in real life juvenile blue tangs are bright yellow with blue spots by their eyes, and their fins have light blue tips. Their bodies become blue as they mature.
Surgeonfish get their name from the scalpel-like spines along the top and bottom of their bodies. These fish have a sharp and venomous spine at the base of their caudal fin, or tail fin, to protect themselves from predators. The caudal spine contains a toxin that can cause severe pain, to small predators as well as humans.
Adult regal blue tang fish typically weigh around 21.15 ounces (600 grams) and are 4.72 to 14.96 inches (12 to 38 centimeters) long. Males are typically larger than females, according to the ADW.
Credit : Live Science
Picture Credit : Google
