How Fish Clean Each Other
In How Fish Clean Each Other, narrator Sir David Attenborough takes us into the reef, where fish have unique ways of working together. The wrasse cleans the skin of the predatory jack fish by eating parasites, and the jack fish respect this partnership because they need cleaning. When silvertip sharks arrive, the jack fish clean themselves by rubbing against the sharks’ sandpaper-like skin. After a while, the sharks swim away, leaving the reef to the busy fish once more. This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
Lesson Express
Q: What might happen if the jack fish didn’t allow the wrasse clean it?
A: The jack fish could become infected with parasites.
Q: Why do you think the wrasses hide under the reef when the silvertip sharks arrive?
A: The wrasses hide under the reef because they are small and vulnerable to the silvertip sharks, which could eat them. The wrasses know the sharks are not interested in cleaning, so they avoid being caught while the jack fish take advantage of the sharks' rough skin for cleaning.
Q: How does the relationship between the wrasses and the jack fish demonstrate mutualism in nature?
A: This relationship shows mutualism because both species benefit. The wrasses get food by eating parasites off the jack fish, while the jack fish get cleaned and stay healthy, as the wrasses have prevented parasites from harming them.
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