"The clutch of remora fish are holding on tight, but collectively release their grip just as the humpback whale they are riding breaches the surface of the ocean. Moments later, everyone is back on board, as the whale re-enters the water, all hurtling together off the coast of south-east Queensland. This rare footage of suckerfish was captured by marine scientist Dr Olaf Meynecke from Griffith University using camera tags attached to humpback whales. The remora are able to sense the change in speed and water depth, he said. It was amazing to see how fast and nimble they were during several different rides with the whales."
"Remora are long, slender fish that grow between 30-90cm. Instead of a dorsal fin on their backs, remora have a suction disc that they use to attach to larger marine animals, earning them monikers like sharksucker, whalesucker or marlinsucker. In Australia, there are several species of remora, known to attach to sharks, turtles, whales and dolphins, and occasionally even humans."
"From the whale's point of view, remora probably increased the total drag, he continued. In return, the hitchhikers likely earned their way by eating parasites and cleaning the whale's skin. The footage seemed to confirm this. Like humans, whales constantly shed dead skin, and in some vision, remora can be seen eating it. Remora were generally thought to be host-specific, Meynecke said, which meant they remained with the same species all their lives. But the sucker fish sometimes even attach themselves to scuba divers, Prof Culum Brown said, an expert in fish behaviour at Macquarie University, who was not involved in the research."
Rare camera-tag footage shows remora attaching to humpback whales, releasing grip during breaches and reattaching during re-entry. The remora detect changes in swimming speed and water depth and perform fast, nimble manoeuvres while hitching rides. Remora measure about 30–90 cm and use a suction disc instead of a dorsal fin to cling to larger animals. The fish likely increase drag on their hosts while feeding on parasites and shed skin, providing a cleaning service. Several remora species occur in Australia and the fish sometimes attach to divers. Remora are difficult to study because they require high-speed observation.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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