Some animals will go to extraordinary lengths to scale the social ladder, remaining small until an opportunity arises and then changing size and sex to move up a rung, reveal US scientists.

A study of clownfish, an anemone-dwelling marine fish known for its bright orange and white patterning, has found that hierarchical boundaries are so entrenched in their "culture" that subordinates control their size and growth rate to the millimetre. When the position at the top of a group becomes vacant, social climbers will go as far as changing sex.

Clownfish reside in discrete groups dominated by the top- ranking female breeder. Her lower-status male partner is next, followed by up to four progressively smaller and lower- ranking, non-breeding subordinates.

"We found that as you go down the social rank, each fish maintains its size at 80 per cent that


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Makes you wonder about possible plot lines for Finding Nemo II.