Finding food: How Nemo fish knows its friends

We all know the story of Nemo… how he got lost and how he was reunited with his dad. But if a latest theory is to be believed, it was not so difficult for his dad to find him. The fish made famous in the Hollywood movie 'Finding Nemo' can see ultraviolet (UV) light and may use to find both friends and food, according to a study by researchers at the University of Queensland. They found that anemonefish or Hollywood’s Nemo -- easily recognised by their striking orange and white patterning -- see their world with the help of sunlight. The team was able to discover a unique specialisation in the eye of the fish that may allow them to better detect friends. They seem to be very good at distinguishing colour, and very good at seeing UV. Anemonefish live very close to the surface, where UV light can easily penetrate. Their visual system seems to be very tuned to recognising who is their friend and who is not. The white stripes on anemonefish reflect UV, which means they should be easier for other anemonefish to recognise. Fun fact The animators at Pixar who made Finding Nemo used dogs as models to give their fish the facial expressions.