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Snorkeler’s Paradise
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As you enter THE LIVING COAST building,
a set of brightly lit tanks transports you to an
offshore coral reef. About 25 percent of all marine
life in the world live in coral reef ecosystems.
The waving tentacles in the center tank belong
to bubble-tip sea anemones. Although the tentacles
look harmless, they are covered with specialized
stinging cells that can release tiny poisonous barbs
called nematocysts that can paralyze and debilitate
prey or foe.
In the popular movie “Finding Nemo,” an orange and white
clownfish and his father live in a sea anemone. Clownfish are
protected from the stings of some species of anemone by a thick
layer of mucus. In the anemones' waving tentacles, clownfish
are protected from predators. In turn, the clownfish remove
parasites from anemones and chase off anemone predators. This
mutually beneficial relationship is called symbiosis.
You’ll find dwarf seahorses to the left of the larger tank.
At about 1 inch long in adulthood, the species is one of the
smallest seahorses in the world. The seahorse is one of the only
animal species in which the male gives birth to the young.
A female seahorse transfers her eggs to a male. The eggs are
fertilized in his brood pouch and provided with oxygen,
nourishment, and protection. When he is ready to give birth,
the male has contractions that push the fry out into the world.
The sexy shrimp got its name from a fan-like tail that
swishes when it moves. The small shrimp has a mutually
beneficial relationship with carpet anemone. The stinging
tentacles of the anemone provide protection for the shrimp
and the shrimp keep the anemone clean. Above, top to bottom:
Did you spot the white ribbon moray eel, nicknamed Orange and white clownfish,
the “ghost eel”? “Some of the most fascinating animals are small. bubbletip sea anemone,
and dwarf seahorse.
So slow down and take time to really look, otherwise you’ll
miss them,” advises Andy Snider, CZS’s curator of Herpetology
& Aquatics.
To learn more, view our “Bringing the Zoo to You” video,
“Symbiosis on the Reef,” on Brookfield Zoo's YouTube channel.

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