Clownfish, a small orange and white species made famous by the “Finding Nemo” movies, have been found to shrink in order to boost their chances of surviving marine heat waves, according to a new study.

Clownfish like Amphiprion ocellaris (pictured in in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea) are known to make their homes amid the tentacles of sea anemones. A new study suggests that another species of clownfish (Amphiprion percula) may be shrinking to survive ocean heat waves.

NEW YORK — To survive warming oceans, clownfish cope by shrinking in size. Scientists observed that some of the orange-striped fish shrank their bodies during a heat wave off the coast of Papa New Guinea. Fish that slimmed were more likely to survive.