{"id":15601,"date":"2024-12-03T00:01:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-03T05:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mote.org\/animal-encyclopedia\/clown-surgeon\/"},"modified":"2025-12-18T00:01:59","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T05:01:59","slug":"clown-surgeon","status":"publish","type":"species","link":"https:\/\/mote.org\/animal-encyclopedia\/clown-surgeon\/","title":{"rendered":"Clown Surgeonfish"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clown surgeonfish are named after the sharp, scalpel-like spines on either side of their tail, which they use for self-defense when threatened. This species is particularly known for its striking appearance and its role in maintaining the health of coral ecosystems by controlling algae growth. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":15602,"template":"","class_list":["post-15601","species","type-species","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nClown Surgeonfish | Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mote.org\/animal-encyclopedia\/clown-surgeon\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Clown Surgeonfish | Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Clown surgeonfish are named after the sharp, scalpel-like spines on either side of their tail, which they use for self-defense when threatened. 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