Coral gobies or clown gobies live their entire lives hidden among the branches of a hard coral colony, including Acropora species.
There are numerous goby species with this habit, and they are not burrowers like other gobies.
In return for the shelter provided by their host, the fish are thought to keep the coral clean of debris and parasites, and can even help defend their home from predators such as crown of thorn starfish by alerting other symbionts such as shrimp or crabs to see the predator off.
This video shows a coral goby in an aquarium occasionally darting out to feed.
The Lembeh Strait in North Sulawesi is famous for its unusually high marine biodiversity, particularly of unusual animals that live on the exposed sand areas.
Matthew Oldfield is a freelance photographer based in Bali, Indonesia, specializing in editorial and documentary images from both above and below the waves. He works primarily with charities, NGO’s, and other organizations working to conserve the environment, endangered species, and disappearing cultures.
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