Aquarium Animals
An Unusual Grouper Groomer
A closeup on cleaning in the Blue Hole Exhibit
Marine ecosystems have many animals that work together. These symbiotic relationships benefit both species. One such mutually beneficial relationship is between cleaner animals and their larger clients: the smaller animals get a meal and the larger ones rid themselves of parasites and dead skin. Recently, volunteer Goldie Freeman took some cool pictures that illustrate this.
Check out these images of a white-striped cleaner shrimp cleaning one of our goliath groupers!
A white-striped cleaner shrimp (Lysmata grabhami) goes to work on a grouper.
From the mouth, to the gills, to the big body, these shrimp have a lot of cleaning surface to cover.
Banded coral shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) are another species of cleaner shrimp in this exhibit
Cleaner Fish
There are species of fish that help animals stay in tip-top shape. Check out some of these links to see a cleaner wrasse in action—some of these fish were actually hatched and raised here at the Aquarium!
Come admire the Blue Hole exhibit, you might just see the spa in action.