Whalesucker

Remora australis

Remoras are interesting little fish. They latch on to hosts like sharks, rays, and dolphins, but they don't actually do any real harm to them at all. Instead, Remoras use the adhesive disks on their heads to stick to hosts and bum free rides. They also get the bonus of eating any leftover scraps, while also munching on parasites and dead skin.

The Whalesucker is the rarest of the Remoras, though that may be because they adhere to very specific hosts. If you couldn't guess already, Whalesuckers latch exclusively to Cetaceans. Blue Whales in particular seem to be a favorite. For a really spectacular size comparison between the world's largest animal and a foot long fish, check out this Flickr page.

They can be found in tropical ocean waters all around the world. They are grey or brown in color. The age and size of the Whalesucker can also contribute to the type of Cetacean that they attach to. Smaller, younger fish will attach to smaller dolphins.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : Tropical Oceans

Size : Length up to 28in (71cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Actinopterygii -- Order : Perciformes
Family : Echeneidae -- Genus : Remora-- Species : R. australis