The natural world contains unusual relationships between different animals. Some creatures live on or inside other animals, using them for food, transport or shelter. These relationships are not always harmful to the host, but some can cause serious damage.
1. Remora fish: Remoras attach themselves to sharks and other large marine animals using a special suction disc. They benefit from transport and leftover food.
2. Cleaner fish: Cleaner wrasses visit larger fish and eat parasites and dead tissue from their bodies.
3. Oxpeckers: These birds sit on large mammals such as buffalo and feed on ticks and other material. Their relationship with hosts can be more complicated than simple cleaning.
4. Cuckoo catfish: Some cuckoo catfish lay their eggs in the mouths of mouthbrooding cichlid fish. The host fish may end up caring for the catfish young.
5. Pearl fish: Some pearl fish shelter inside sea cucumbers, entering through the animal’s opening. Different species have different effects on their hosts.
6. Barnacles on whales: Some barnacles attach themselves to whales and travel with them. The barnacles benefit from moving through food-rich waters.
7. Tongue-eating louse: This parasite enters a fish’s mouth and attaches to its tongue. It destroys the tongue and can take its place, surviving while the fish remains alive.
Final thoughts: Some animals depend on other creatures for survival, while others are parasites that harm their hosts. Nature has many relationships that are stranger than fiction.
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