What is the type of symbiosis between sharks and remoras?

Answer 1

Remoras attach themselves to the shark and eat the leftover food remains that they can find.

This would fall into the commensalism symbiotic relationship, because the remora is getting its food, and the shark gets no benefit.

There are other studies that suggest that the remoras clean parasites from the shark's teeth and perhaps skin. If this is true then it is a mutualism relationship.

Remoras eat the parasites off the underside of the shark to keep it healthy and alive. Plus the Remoras get a free meal and protection. A mutualistic symbiotic relationship.

the pilot fish clean the shark's teeth and skin, and the shark protects them

The remora fish attach to the shark's belly and eat the malignant parasites off it.

Also remoras can stick to other organisms such as whales, other big fish and maybe also crocodiles. This would still fall into the category of commensalism.

Answer 2

Remora belong to the family Echeinidae. They small fish that live on and around sharks attaching by a modified dorsal fin. The fin has 16 to 20 ridges that create a sucking plate and is located near their heads.They eat stray bits of food left by the shark and tiny shrimp-like parasites that live on the shark's skin. Both the shark and the remora benefit from the pairing, this form of symbiotoc relationship is mutualism.

Answer 3

I'm not certain that a true symbiotic relationship between remoras, sometimes called "pilot fish," exists. I'm assuming you know that a symbiosis is a mutually beneficial relationship. Remoras attach themselves to larger marine creatures, among them sharks, whales, turtles, etc. by means of a sucking device on their upper back, or dorsal fin. When the host creature attacks a prey, eats it, and/or deficates, the remoras (often many on one host creature) hop off and eat the scraps, bits of flesh or feces which remain floating in the surrrounding area. You probably knew this...sorry to bore you if so. It's obvious that the remoras benefit; they get a free ride, and a free meal. Perhaps the host--in this case a shark--benefits by eating still other fish that are attracted to the fray, swarming remoras? Maybe someone can help us here. Another possibility is the host gets a "cleaning" from the remora's suckers. Very small ones can actually ride in their hosts gills, thus providing a "vacuum cleaning" of the gills? Other than these possibilities, I'm prone to think the relationship is more like a parasite/host one.

Answer 4

Of the three types of symbiotic relationships (mutualism, commensalism and parasitism) the relationship that generally occurs between sharks and remora fish is commensalism - which is the same as with remora fish and other predators, such as stingrays, etc.

Commensalism describes a relationship in which one animal (in this case the remora fish) is benefiting while the other (the shark) is neither benefited or harmed. The remora fish can be described as a freeloader, as it picks up scraps of food that the shark misses, without having to hunt itself.

Hope this helps!

Answer 5

Remoras attach themselves to the shark and eat the leftover food remains that they can find.

This would fall into the commensalism symbiotic relationship, because the remora is getting its food, and the shark gets no benefit.Plus the Remoras get a free meal and protection.

There are other studies that suggest that the remoras clean parasites from the shark's teeth and perhaps skin. If this is true then it is a mutualism relationship.

Answer 6

The remora fish attaches itself to the underside of the shark, and then feeds off scraps left by the shark.

Answer 7

I do believe it is mutualism.