Remoras: From Helpful Hitchhikers to Potential Parasites
Remoras, long seen as mutualistic hitchhikers that clean and shield their hosts, may be more parasitic than previously thought. New research notes reduced grazing by hosts with remoras present and rare cases of remoras entering manta rays’ cloacae, a behavior dubbed “cloacal diving” that challenges the traditional view of a beneficial relationship and highlights the parasite-like potential of these clingy fish.