Albert Brooks

His name for a title for this is a bit of a no-brainer, eh?

Ah, the humble clown fish group of species. These banded fish have been icons of the sea for decades, and their popularity today is most certainly not on the wane. Now, I suppose a bit of history and explanation of what a clown fish is, and is not, is in order.

There are 27 species of clown fish. They also have a range spanning the Pacific and Indian oceans, as well as the waters of the great barrier reef. The key defining feature of the species are their mutually beneficial relationship with sea anemones. A clown fish, once it settles in with an anemone, will defend it. In turn, the anemone protects the clown fish. It's actually pretty cool.

A clown fish, generally speaking, is about four and a third inches long, orange, with a white band or two, depending on the actual species. They are popular fish in salt water aquariums, and when there is no anemone for them to populate, they will settle for a piece of coral. It is recommended, however, to always pair a clown fish with an anemone.

Clown fish, although always popular amongst salt water divers and Australian tourist communities, splashed on to the world wide scene with the release of the Disney Pixar film, "Finding Nemo", in which a father clown fish embarks on an odyssey to rescue his lost son, Nemo. If you haven't seen it, I suggest that you check it out.

However, that film was released in 2003. After five years, the popularity of a tiny little four inch fish cannot be fully explained just by citing "Finding Nemo". This, in turn, begs the question... Why are so many of us so fond of such a little fish?

Well, I think it comes down to basic human psychology, really. I mean, this tiny little fish lives with this vicious faceless creature that stings for its dinner other fish unlucky enough to get too close to it. It defies the odds in a very visceral and visual way. Moreover, the animal is pretty cute. Its orange color and white stripes are pleasant to many eyes, myself included.

Marketers are not fools, and since a clown fish cannot be copyrighted, have spewed out remarkable amounts of plush stuffed clown fish, clown fish stickers, clown fish coloring books, and many many other such items. Kids don't know the difference; if it is orange with white stripes, it is Nemo. Parents are not fools, either. Why spend thirty bucks on a real Nemo plushie when you can spend twelve on a generic clown fish plushie?

In any event, the popularity of the clown fish, on balance, has been a good thing. People think about the ocean a little more than they did five years ago, and considering the stress that the ocean is under due to human activity, people appreciating a weird orange and white bait fish can't be too bad...

All right. Which one do you want to read next, eh?