Most animals in water can't groom themselves the way cats,
monkeys, and many other land animals do. They depend on other creatures to do
it for them. The cleaner wrasse is a specialist in this job. These small fish
are brightly colored, which makes them easy to spot. They set up cleaning
stations in the ocean and attract clients with a sort of dance, swimming head
down and waving their bodies from side to side. Larger fish line up at the
cleaner wrasse station, each waiting for its turn to be cleaned. The cleaners '
clients include many fish that are predators-but the cleaners themselves are
rarely eaten. As the larger fish wait calmly, the little cleaners swim right
into their mouths and gill cavities to clear away parasites, fungi, and debris,
getting a free meal in the process. (Grolier Book of Knowledge Encyclopedia)
Dec 19, 2012
Cleaner Wrasse
Most animals in water can't groom themselves the way cats,
monkeys, and many other land animals do. They depend on other creatures to do
it for them. The cleaner wrasse is a specialist in this job. These small fish
are brightly colored, which makes them easy to spot. They set up cleaning
stations in the ocean and attract clients with a sort of dance, swimming head
down and waving their bodies from side to side. Larger fish line up at the
cleaner wrasse station, each waiting for its turn to be cleaned. The cleaners '
clients include many fish that are predators-but the cleaners themselves are
rarely eaten. As the larger fish wait calmly, the little cleaners swim right
into their mouths and gill cavities to clear away parasites, fungi, and debris,
getting a free meal in the process. (Grolier Book of Knowledge Encyclopedia)
