Nature · 2
In the mutualistic partnership between gobies and pistol shrimp, what job does the goby fish perform outside the shared burrow?
Answer
It keeps watch for predators while the shrimp digs
Because pistol shrimp have very poor eyesight, the goby acts as a lookout, using body flicks to signal danger, while the shrimp excavates and maintains their shared burrow.
💡 Did you know?
Goby fish stand guard outside pistol shrimp burrows, watching for danger while half-blind shrimp digs. Both sleep in the same shelter nightly.
Other options people guess
- It digs the burrow while the shrimp keeps watch
- It removes parasites from the shrimp's exoskeleton
- It lures small prey into the burrow for the shrimp
Topics
- symbiosis
- marine-life
- fish
- shrimp
- mutualism
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