Finding Nemo told the heartwarming tale of a father searching for his lost son. However, the biology of clownfish would never allow this plot point.
Clownfish have a unique reproductive system, living in groups of fish with only one dominant female.
The female picks the most aggressive male to mate with, and if the queen fish dies, the dominant male transitions back to female.
The leading female in the group acts as the ‘queen’ and oversees the school. She regulates the size of the group and takes charge of guiding the population.
The social hierarchy among the fish causes stress among the males, which spikes their cortisol levels.
According to research by the National Library of Medicine, once the dominant female passes away, the surrounding males exhibit a decrease in cortisol levels.
When the cortisol levels decrease, the dominant male can then transition to a female and assume her position as the new queen.
A Reddit video explaining this phenomenon stated that fans of the movie will look at “Finding Nemo” differently after discovering the authentic lifestyle of clownfish.
Finding Nemo tells the heartwarming tale of a father embarking on a wild adventure to save his son
In the movie, Nemo’s mom dies; however, in real life, his dad would become the new dominant female, and the two would most likely reproduce
Clownfish live in a female-dominated community. When the ‘queen’ dies, the dominant male transitions to a female and starts the reproductive cycle over again
‘This is the real reason Nemo ran away – keeping Marlin constantly stressed in the movie means he doesn’t transition into Mum, and constantly harass Nemo and make Nemo stressed,’ one commenter joked.
‘Imagine the relief of finally being able to turn into the queen you were always meant to be,’ another added.
Others sarcastically pointed out that the inaccurate representation of the fish’s reproduction was hardly the most unbelievable part of the movie.
‘I remember when I was a kid, walking out of the cinema with my mum after watching Finding Nemo, and I said “it’s soo unrealistic how they made the fish blink” and she replied “they also don’t talk”. So it’s funny you said that here,’ one comment shared.
‘They also don’t talk,’ another agreed.
One Finding Nemo fan was horrified and wrote, ‘Did not need to know this. Childhood ruined.’
The process that the Redditor who shared the video is referring to is called sequential hermaphroditism, which occurs when an organism changes sex during its lifetime.
Female clownfish lay thousands of eggs fertilized by the dominant male. After the eggs hatch, the males become their primary caretaker.
Each school of clownfish consists of a dominant male and female, with the rest being submissive males.
After the female dies, the dominant male transitions to a female and starts the cycle over again.
The transition occurs after a male gains weight. Since the queen is dead, the dominant male has first dibs on food and the decrease in cortisol allows for the hormonal changes to take place.
Fans of Finding Nemo were horrified to discover the scientific reality behind the movie, with one individual even declaring that their childhood was ruined
Clownfish live in groups with a dominant female and male
Typically, when the dominant male turns into the queen, they pick the next male in line to repopulate with.
However, sometimes the dominant male will move to another group, so they’re not always repopulating with a fish they technically fertilized.
All clownfish are born male but don’t all transition to females. Once a male transitions, he permanently becomes female.
If Finding Nemo had been scientifically accurate, Nemo may have reproduced with his own dad, Marlin, after his mother died.
Clownfish are curious creatures, as scientists haven’t yet cracked the code as to why they survive so easily nestled among sea anemones.
Anemones are poisonous but clownfish have developed a symbiotic relationship with them.
Clownfish have many predators, which is why scientists believe they’ve developed the ability to reproduce in groups. Finding Nemo was accurate in depicting the dangerous world for a clownfish outside of their anemone
Clownfish use anemone’s tentacles for protection while the anemone feasts on the fish’s scraps.
Clownfish have many predators in the sea, so they’ve adapted to stay close to the anemone for protection.
Scientists believe the clownfish’s unique reproductive system evolved because they couldn’t venture out to find mates.
In that sense, Finding Nemo did correctly depict the danger Marlin faced when he ventured off on a mission to find his son.
