The colourful stripes of coral reef-dwelling clownfish may serve to warn predators about their poisonous anemone hosts, according to a new study by The University of Western Australia.

MARLIN: How many stripes do I have? NEMO: I’m fine. MARLIN: Answer the stripe question! NEMO: Three.

The study authors theorized that the different stripe patterns may allow clownfish to recognize individuals belonging to the same species, including potential mating partners.

There are 30 recognized species of clownfish. Marlin and Nemo are Ocellaris clownfish, a type of orange clownfish that live in sea anemones, just like in the movie. This type of clownfish is typically 3 to 4 inches long with bright orange coloring and white stripes outlined in black.

Reef Aquarium Fact #199 Clownfish parents will sometimes eat their own eggs that they have laid.

The peak of its popularity was in 1970. In that year, 23,574 babies were named Eric. Eric is no longer as popular as it was a couple of decades ago, but it remains a solid choice for a baby name.

Erik is the most common spelling in the Scandinavian countries. While the English-speaking countries have traditionally spelled the name Eric, the Scandinavians, particularly in Sweden, favor Erik with a “k”. Erik/Eric was borne by many Scandinavian kings and powerful Viking warriors.

Eric as a boy’s name is pronounced AIR-ik. It is of Old Norse origin, and the meaning of Eric is “forever or alone, ruler”.

ERIC provides the public with a centralized Web site for searching the ERIC collection and submitting materials to be considered for inclusion in the collection. Users can also access the collection through commercial database vendors, statewide and institutional networks, and Internet search engines.