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Fish keep their Friend close and their enemies nearer … but only because they need to exfoliate .
Researchers lately pick up that different species of Pisces use shark as bush brushes by push up against the ocean predator ’s scaly body to get free of parasite and other thorn . Though this unsafe doings has been observed before , it was n’t clear just how common it was .
" While chafing has been well document between fish and nonliving objects , such as George Sand or rocky substrate , this [ shark - chafing ] phenomenon appear to be the only scenario in nature where target actively seek out and chafe up against a predator , " Lacey Williams , a graduate scholarly person at the University of Miami , who co - led the subject field with graduate student Alexandra Anstett , said in a statement .
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Williams and Anstett first observed this behavior with dawdler , while pull together data ongreat white sharks(Carcharodon carcharias ) in Plettenberg Bay , South Africa , Williams said in aYouTube videoabout the findings . But it was n’t until they determine this same chafing behavior in a societal media mail service from the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy , that they realized that their observation were n’t an disjunct incident .
To figure out just how common this behavior was , the research worker compiled information from photo , videos , drone footage and watcher reputation and discovered 47 total instances of Pisces the Fishes rubbing against shark in 13 different locating across the world , according to the statement . They observed this phenomenon across 12 different Pisces coinage and eight shark coinage .
For example , leervis Pisces ( Lichia genus Amia ) scrub themselves using the rough cutis ofgreat white sharks , slick sharks ( Carcharhinus falciformis ) and hulk shark ( Rhincodon typus ) , according to the financial statement . The number of exfoliating Pisces alter from one to over 100 individuals at a sentence .
It ’s not absolved why fish apply sharks as exfoliators , but the researchers ventured a surmisal .
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" Shark peel is cover in small tooth - like scales scream cutaneous denticles , which furnish a rough sandpaper aerofoil for the chafing Pisces , " senior author Neil Hammerschlag , an associate professor at the University of Miami , enunciate in the statement . " We surmise that chafing against shark skin might fiddle a life-sustaining role in the removal of parasites or other skin thorn , thus meliorate Pisces the Fishes health and physical fitness . "
It ’s also unknown why there are no known instances of a land animal rub against another to chafe . " We go for this paper sparks theme for future studies so that we can well understand our marine and freshwater systems , " she say .
The discipline appeared Oct. 28 in the journalEcology , The Scientific Naturalist .
Originally published on Live Science .
