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Clown Fish and Sea Anemones: Talk AboutTeamwork!By Erin Horner

I love being a part of ateam. I really like the waymy teammates and I helpeach other. Did you knowthat some animals useteamwork? The clown fishand the sea anemone aregreat teammates. Both ofthese animals live togetherin the ocean. They are verydifferent from one another.But they still make a greatteam!

Sea anemones look like underwater flowers. They have tentacles thatsway with the sea current. Their tentacles look pretty, but they arepoisonous. When a fish swims into an anemone tentacle, it gets stung.The poison then paralyzes the fish. The paralyzed fish then becomesanemone food.

Clown fish are very colorful. They live in or near sea anemones.Unlike other fish, they are not bothered by the anemone poison.Clown fish are covered with a special type of mucus. This mucuskeeps them safe. These bright fish carefully swim in and around seaanemones. When they are swimming they gently bump into theswaying tentacles. The clown fish do this over and over again. Thisallows the fish to become immune to the anemone's poison. Now thefish and the anemone can live together. They can help each other too.

So, how does this team help each other? Anemones help to feed theclown fish. First an anemone eats its food. Then a clown fish eats thepieces that are left-over. This helps both animals. It keeps theanemone clean. It also keeps the clown fish full! Clown fish also helpto keep anemones safe. The fish chase away predators that try to hurtthem.

Sea anemones and clown fish are two very different animals. Theyshow us that no matter how different animals (or people) are, they canstill work together and form one terrific team!

Clown Fish and Sea Anemones: Talk About Teamwork!

Questions

1. Why aren't clown fish paralyzed by anemone poison?

2. How does a clown fish help an anemone?

A. The fish catches its food.B. The fish helps it move.C. The fish feeds it.D. The fish helps to keep it clean.

3. What would most likely happen if clown fish were not coveredin a special type of mucus?

A. They would not be able to live in or near an anemone.B. They would swim faster.C. They would eat the anemones.D. They would swim slower.

4. The word immune means ______.

A. protected fromB. not affected by somethingC. building up a resistance to a specific irritant or illness.D. all of the above

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Are you a part of a team? How do you and your teammates help eachother?

If you could be a clown fish or a sea anemone for one day, whichwould you choose? Why would you choose to be that animal?