Nature · 2
While being serviced by cleaner fish at a cleaning station, how do sharks and rays typically behave?
Answer
They remain nearly motionless
Sharks and rays often hover almost still, sometimes opening their mouths or gill slits, to let cleaner fish safely pick parasites off their bodies.
💡 Did you know?
Cleaner fish eat parasites off sharks and rays while the predators remain motionless—some sharks visit specific cleaning stations like underwater spas.
Other options people guess
- They swim in tight circles
- They thrash their tails rapidly
- They dive to much deeper water
Topics
- symbiosis
- shark-behavior
- marine-life
- cleaner-fish
Know your nature trivia?
Play a free Nature quiz and see how many you get right — no signup needed to start.
More Nature facts
Nature
At underwater cleaning stations, what do cleaner fish primarily eat off the bodies of sharks and rays?
Cleaner fish eat parasites off sharks and rays while the predators remain motionless—some sharks visit specific cleaning stations like underwater spas.
Nature
About how quickly can a flounder alter its skin pattern to mimic a checkerboard design on the ocean floor?
Flounder fish can match a checkerboard pattern on the seafloor in under one minute, yet remain completely colorblind throughout their lives.
Nature
Since leafcutter ants cannot actually digest the leaves they cut, what do they use them for?
Leafcutter ants farm fungus they cannot digest, farming it like cattle for food—the fungus cannot survive without them, making it an enslaved crop.
Nature
Edible honey discovered by archaeologists in ancient Egyptian tombs was found to be approximately how old?
Honey never spoils. Archaeologists found 3,000-year-old honey in Egyptian tombs still perfectly edible due to its low moisture and high acidity.
Nature
What combination of natural properties allows honey to remain edible for thousands of years without spoiling?
Honey never spoils. Archaeologists found 3,000-year-old honey in Egyptian tombs still perfectly edible due to its low moisture and high acidity.
Nature
During its nonstop transoceanic migration, what two cues does the bar-tailed godwit primarily rely on to navigate without landing?
Bar-tailed godwits navigate 7,500 miles over open ocean without stopping, using only magnetic fields and the sun.