This never-before-seen footage of baby clownfish hatching, is fascinating and rather adorable. Like tiny eyeballs in sacks attached to a rock, these little larvae wobble in the water’s currents. With some help from their father, as seen with a specialized infrared camera, their wobbles help set them free to grow. A familiar voice narrates this clip from episode one of David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef. A synopsis:
Almost 60 years after his first visit to the Great Barrier Reef, Sir David Attenborough returns to unlock new secrets about the largest living structure on Earth. Working with a team of experts aboard a state-of-the-art research and exploration vessel, David takes us to mysterious depths for an up-close look at the wonderfully diverse community that calls this place home. Through computer modeling and radiocarbon dating, we uncover surprising details about the reef’s origins, which are more recent than once believed.
Update: This brilliant 2015 footage, filmed in The Philippines by underwater cameraman Nick Hope, shows how a male and female saddleback clownfish fan their eggs with their mouths and fins to keep them oxygenated and clean while they grow:
Read more about the different species of clownfish or anemonefish.
Next: Incredible Teamwork From Little Clownfish, Banggai Cardinalfish eggs, and more videos about the Great Barrier Reef, including The Catlin Seaview Survey: “Street View” for the Great Barrier Reef.
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