Divers in the Maldives spotted a “very popular” shark swimming along with its own entourage of remoras.
Also known as suckerfish, remoras are a type of fish that use suction to stick to larger animals – like whales and sharks – and hitchhike around the ocean.
“It seems remoras tend to choose particular individuals to latch onto more than others,” says underwater photographer Jono Allen who captured the crew while diving with Villa Nautica in the Maldives.
“I’ve regularly noticed individual whales and sharks possessing loads of remoras, while the others nearby have almost none.”
In Allen’s video, the nurse shark in question has more than a dozen remora bustling around it as it cruises through the water.
“Whatever the reason,” he says, “this nurse shark was very popular with its tag along ‘friends’.”
Image and video: remoras and nurse shark/Jono Allen
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