Social Structure
The Barrier Reef Anemonefish live together in a social structure within a single anemone. A dominant female is the largest member of the group, and her mate, the dominant male, the second largest. There are also up to four lower-ranking males. There is little aggression from the large female toward the males, but fierce in-fighting between the males maintains the pecking order. The lowest ranking male may be driven out and forced to seek a place in a group within another anemone host or die. If the female dies, the dominant male assumes her position within the hierarchy and over the course of a few days changes sex. In the wild they may live 6–10 years, but captive species have survived for 18 years.
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