Remora

Design

The remora does not have a swim bladder. It was created with a sucking disc on the top of its head so that it can “hitch-hike” rides on other animals to get around the ocean. Without this ride providing swift movement of water over its gills, the remora would quickly perish. Clearly this design feature did not evolve over long periods of time.

Features

• The remora is a drab brown or black color.
• It is a short and thick fish with a long, flattened head.
• The body of the remora is smooth, with small, cycloid scales.

Fun Facts

• The remora attaches itself to fish (including sharks and rays), sea turtles, and aquatic mammals.
• Some remoras eat parasites that are on the animal, thus benefiting both species.
• Some fishermen use the remora to capture larger fish and sea turtles. They attach a line to the remora’s tail and then release the remora because the remora will soon attach itself to a host. The fishermen then carefully pull in both the remora and its larger host.