A new study on clownfish has revealed some of the potent hormonal signals that show their fatherly instinct to their children. They are known as one of the most caring fish to their offspring as they will show care even to a nest of eggs that is unrelated to them.
In the new study published in Science and Direct titled "Opposite effects of nonapeptide antagonists on paternal behavior in the teleost fishAmphiprion ocellaris," researchers found out that clownfish or Amphiprion ocellaris in Latin, mostly rely on signaling molecule almost identical to oxytocin that is equivalent to love hormone in humans. It is also associated with mothering to maintain their fatherly fidelity.
To attest their act as a parent, researchers tried to block this love hormone, known as the isotocin, in the male clownfish. After they blocked it, the dads suddenly lose their father figure and stopped tending to the nest of eggs.
In an article published in Phys.org, it is reported that this is not the first study to show that the isotocin regulates paternal care among fish. However, this is the first one to focus on clownfish, on which the researchers believe as a symbol of father love.
"Because the [clownfish] are so committed to their role as fathers, we're able in the lab to dissociate their parental behavior the fanning and the nipping-from behaviors associated with courtship, territory defense, and nest defense," Ross DeAngelis, the senior author of this study, said. He also said that this allowed them to look at how the brain regulates male paternal care in isolation from other behaviors that happened simultaneously.
Clownfish, also known as anemonefish, became popular as a father figure after the 2003 animated movie "Finding Nemo" was released to the public. Scientists observed their paternal care as they usually nip at them to remove debris and fan them with oxygen-rich waters even if it's not their own children. Researchers said that most fish would eat them in cases like that.
