Hawksbill sea turtle with a group of blue tangs (Acanthurus coeruleus) in a cleaning station. Sea turtles allow these fishes to feed on epibionts on their shell.
Different species of algae, and a large variety of sessile and vagile animals may be found fixed on sea turtle´s shell and soft tissues. To get rid of these organisms, sea turtles allow tropical fishes to feed on the epibionts, in a mutually beneficial association, called “cleaning symbiosis”.
Details
Title: Hawksbill sea turtle with a group of blue tangs (Acanthurus coeruleus) in a cleaning station. Sea turtles allow these fishes to feed on epibionts on their shell.
Creator: Banco de Imagens Projeto TAMAR
Date Created: 2009
Location: Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brasil
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