Clownfish and Sea Anemone – Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal, Botanical Garden, Montréal, Québec

The island of Okinawa, to the south of Japan, is a subtropical island surrounded by coral reefs. Okinawa is the name of both the large island and the archipelago forming the southern extremity of Japan. Due to their isolation from the continent, these islands are home to species found nowhere else in the world, including two species of birds, the Okinawa woodpecker and the Okinawa rail.

Okinawa’s contribution to the Mosaïcultures Internationales competition was a montage illustrating a clownfish its accompanying sea anemone. Clownfish live in a symbiotic relationship with anemones, as each needs the other to survive. The fish’s body excretes a mucus that protects it from the anemone’s fatal venom, and it uses the anemone as a shield. In turn, the anemone relies on the clownfish to defend it against predators.

For a description of the art of Mosaiculture and of the Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal competition, please turn to the first photo in this series at:

www.ipernity.com/doc/jonathan.cohen/33872015