Dear friends, Welcome to the second Skubaskool News. One month already passed and a lot happened since then... This month, we will talk about a new program, Whale Watching between Lombok and Bali. Discover our photo of the month: Amphitrion Ocellaris, which will also be the subject of our Info Bio. Although, if you have any comments about this page, any subject you would like we talk about, any question, please drop us a line at info@skubaskool.com

BALI NEWS Whales and Dolphins in Bali! Whales and dolphins are often seen in Bali’s water especially around the southern part of the island around Nusa Penida and Uluwatu. Benyamin Khan, director of APEX Environmental, the Asia Pacific Oceanic cetacean Program which has been conducting research in Indonesia since 1997, said during a recent workshop that Indonesia was a special location for cetacean species. Indonesian water including those around Bali and Lombok are an ecology corridor that is significant for cetacean species and for the migration of other big animals that lives in the sea. There are several types of dolphins and whales in Bali’s water including Spinner dolphins, Spotted dolphins, Baleen whales, Pilot whales and sperm whales. Although during a 3 days monitoring in January, Khan saw the Bryde’s whale and pygmy killer whales. With such a big potential, whales watching can be introduced as a new tourism activities. Indonesia ratified the International convention on Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna. In the same year the government issued a regulation to protect wildlife, including dolphins and whales. It is necessary to follow certain guidelines while whale watching in order to protect the animals, often disturbed by ships approaching them. “Proper diving skills, careful diving and proper regulations will result in good whale watching activities. Whale watching cannot work without good rules” said Khan.

	PHOTO OF THE MONTH It is quite difficult to take photo of clown fish (Amphitrion Ocellaris) in his anemone as he is always moving. We would like to thanks Amélie Roviène for this superb shot.
	INFO BIO The Amphitrion Ocellaris most important feature is his colour pattern: normally bright orange with three white bars, the middle one with a forward projecting bulge; bars have narrow black margins. His maximum length is around 8cm The clown fish became famous because of the film Finding Nemo. Unfortunately the film’s message hasn’t been well understood as 150 000 clown fish has been sold every year since then. CLASSIFICATION Family: Pomacentridae Genus: Amphitrion Species: Ocellaris WORLD HABITAT Anemone fish can be found in the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, south East Asia region, northern Australia, and the western Pacific. Many dive sites credit themselves with the highest concentration of Anemone fish; Indonesia has the highest number of Amphitrion species while countries like Australia, which has 12 species, has a number of unique variant. They are not known to the Caribbean, Mediterranean or the Atlantic Ocean. Amphitrion have a special symbiotic relationship with sea anemones. The clown fish grooms his host to keep it free of parasites and debris and chase off creatures that prey on anemone such as butterfly fish and turtles. On the other hand, the nematocysts, stinging cells of the anemone’s tentacles discharge when fish brush against the tentacles, which paralyse the fish, and protect the clown fish. The Amphitrion has a special biochemical make up of their mucus layer, which provides protection from the stinging cells. Host Anemone fish are typically Heteractis magnifica, Stichodactyla gigantea and Stichodactyla mertensii, which are found in shallow water reefs or sand from 1 to 18m. FEEDING BEAHAVIOR Amphitrion feeding behavior depends on its species. The Amphitrion Ocellaris is planktivore while other can be Algae feeder. REPRODUCTION There is a strong hierarchy within a group anemone fish, inhabiting one anemone. Usually a large female dominates. She mates only with the largest male. Some reef fish species are able to turn from female to male, which is a common ability. But anemone fish have the ability to sex change from male to female. All anemone fish are born male with active male and dormant female organs. If the female dies, then the dominant male will sex change into female, and the larger non-dominant male will change into a dominant male. The male clean a surface close to the anemone where the female lays eggs. If a suitable surface is not available, the female may drag one near the anemone. The female can lay 300 to 700 eggs at the time. Male anemone fish care for their spawn by fanning the eggs with their fins, removing litter or dead eggs using their mouths with great precision, and keeping other fish away. Hatching often occurs after few days and only one species (Acanthochromis polyacanthus) has non-pelagic young.