Clownfish physically shrink themselves to survive during heatwaves.
Clownfish shrink for survival
Researchers at Newcastle University tracked the length of 134 of the colourful species in Papua New Guinea for five consecutive months of warm temperatures and found that 100 of them shrank in size to increase their chances of survival by 78 per cent.
Biologists believe that clownfish have a coping mechanism that could explain the rapidly declining size of fish in the world's oceans.
The experts also observed that the species - made famous in the animated film 'Finding Nemo' - have a higher chance of survival when they shrink together with their breeding partner.
PhD researcher Melissa Versteeg, who led the study, said: "This is not just about getting skinnier under stressful conditions, these fish are actually getting shorter.
"We don't know yet exactly how they do it, but we do know that a few other animals can do this too."