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EveryFish

Symbiosis

A close relationship between two species living together, such as the clownfish and its sea anemone.

Also: mutualism, commensalism

Fish take part in many partnerships. The best known is the clownfish and the sea anemone: the anemone's stinging tentacles protect the clownfish, which is coated in mucus that keeps it from being stung, and the clownfish chases off fish that eat anemones and may feed it scraps. Gobies share burrows with near-blind shrimps that dig while the goby keeps watch. Remoras ride on sharks and rays, feeding on scraps. When both partners gain, it is called mutualism; when one gains and the other is unaffected, commensalism.

See also

Cleaner fishCoral reefSex change in fish

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