JUST KEEP SWIMMING

Blue Tang

The Blue Tang lives in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.  Despite its outward beauty, its flesh is poisonous.  

Dory

Tang Fish were made famous worldwide thanks to the movies Finding Nemo and Finding Dory.  Dory is a Blue Tang.  She teaches us persistence, perseverance, the power of family and friends and purpose.  Her goal was to find her parents, and she was passionate about it.  Despite many setbacks, she was persistent, which made her stronger and more able to face her challenges.  When Nemo and his father are in a jam, they ask themselves, 'what would Dory do?'  They know she'd tell them to just keep swimming.

The Blue Tang was chosen to be Dory cuz the vibrant blue color makes her visually striking.  Blue Tang are a popular aquarium fish, which made Dory recognizable to her audiences.  Their juveniles are bright yellow and turn blue as they mature.  The adult fish average 12 inches in length.

These colorful fish play an important role in the coral reef food web.  The adults feed primarily on algae and also plankton.  They keep algae levels on coral down to a manageable level.  Each living thing, from the smallest bacteria to the largest whale, contributes to the overall balance and survival of life on Earth.  Guess it doesn't matter if we're a perch, a pig, a parrot, a plant or a person.....we're all part of the mess, the struggles and the phenomenal beauty of life.