# Remora Remoras are fish that hitch rides on larger sea animals like sharks and whales. They have a special suction disk on their heads that helps them stick to their hosts. - **Category:** [Fish](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fish) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Marine - **Also known as:** Remora Fish, Suckerfish ![Remora](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771426506/objects/6358.jpg) ## Appearance The remora has a slim, streamlined body with an oval suction disc on top of its head. The disc is made of rows of slats and looks a bit like a ribbed shoe sole. The common remora is dark brownish grey all over, with no stripe. Its relative, the live sharksucker, has a broad dark stripe edged in white on each side. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Actinopterygii - **Order:** Perciformes - **Family:** Echeneidae - **Genus:** Remora ## Remora, up close Remoras (family Echeneidae) are 8 species of slim marine fish that hitch rides on sharks, rays, whales, turtles and big bony fish in warm seas worldwide. On top of the head they carry an oval suction disc: a front dorsal fin rebuilt into rows of spiny slats. The common remora (Remora remora), usually about 40 cm long, is the model on this page. Also called: Common remora (Remora remora), Shark sucker, Diskfish. A fin turned into a suction disc, free rides on sharks and whales, and a trip to 1,460 m. Spin it, tap it, then test yourself. ### Special abilities - **Hitch a Ride** (17.4 N pull to unstick it from shark skin): A remora swims up to a big animal, presses its disc on and holds tight. Pulling a sharksucker off shark skin took about 17.4 N, like lifting a 1.8 kg bag. [6][8][7] - In tests, it took more force to pull sharksuckers off shark skin (17.4 N) than off smooth plastic (11.2 N), because the spinules catch on the rough skin. - Muscles raise the slats to make the suction and can lower them again, so the remora can let go and move. - Remoras ride sharks, rays, big bony fish, turtles, whales, dolphins and even ships. Sharksuckers have been reported attaching to divers’ legs. - Force needed to pull a sharksucker off: Shark skin 17.4 N; Smooth plastic 11.2 N - **Slat Grip** (≈185× suction boost when tugged): X-ray the disc: rows of slats topped with tiny spikes. At rest the suction is gentle, but when the host tugs, it can rise about 185 times. [6][2][4] - Resting suction averaged just 0.5 kPa below the surrounding water pressure. When sharksuckers were pulled backwards, as a swimming host would do, it rose to 92.7 kPa below on smooth plastic. - On shark skin the spinules dig in for friction, so less suction was needed (46.6 kPa below), yet the grip was stronger. - Touch sensors in the soft lip of the disc may tell the remora the moment it makes contact. - Suction inside the disc: Tugged, smooth plastic 92.7; Tugged, shark skin 46.6; Resting 0.5 - **Scrap Snacks** (Copepods main food of the common remora): Riding close to a hunter means leftovers. Remoras dart out for scraps and pick off tiny parasites. [8][10][7] - Sharksuckers eat small fishes, bits of their hosts’ prey and the hosts’ parasites. - The common remora feeds mainly on parasitic copepods, small crustaceans. - Young sharksuckers sometimes set up cleaning stations on reefs and clean parasites off parrotfishes. - **Ram Mode** (3.7–5.7% extra oxygen to pump instead): On a moving host, a remora stops pumping its gills and lets the passing water flow through its open mouth instead. [9] - Sharksuckers switched to ram ventilation once water flowed past at 10–50 cm per second, depending on their size. - Pumping used 3.7–5.7% more oxygen than ram breathing. Faster water did not raise the cost any further. - The study concluded that pumping costs sharksuckers less than had been reported for fish in general. - **Slipstream Surfing** (up to 84% less drag in the best spots; still debated): On blue whales, remoras pick sheltered spots, then slide or skim along the skin to stay in the whale’s slipstream. [14][11] - Cameras on blue whales showed remoras gathering where the flow separates behind features on the skin, cutting drag by up to 71–84% compared with open water. - They moved about by sliding (attached) and skimming (just above the skin). Skimming cut drag by 50–72% in some spots, and a Venturi effect may help keep them close. - An earlier computer study of a single attached sharksucker found the host’s flow made little difference, so scientists are still working out how much drag guides where remoras ride. - Drag saved on a blue whale: Attached in the best spots 71–84%; Skimming (some spots) 50–72% - **Deep Rider** (1,460 m deepest remora on record): Remoras go where their hosts go. One common remora rode a whale shark down to 1,460 m, where the water was 3.6 °C. [15][10] - A study of deep-diving whale sharks and Chilean devil rays found common remoras and pilot fish staying with their hosts far below the sunlit zone. - A pilot fish was filmed at 900 m (7.5 °C) on the way back up from the same dive. - Common remoras usually live in the top 200 m. How they cope with the cold, dark and pressure down deep is unknown. - How deep is that?: Remora on a whale shark 1,460 m; Pilot fish, same dive 900 m; Usual remora depth limit 200 m - **Solo Swimmer** (≈1 year young sharksuckers swim free): Remoras can swim on their own. Young sharksuckers live free for about a year, and adults often swim in groups over reefs. [7][3] - Sharksuckers hatch at 4.7–7.5 mm long and swim free until they are about 3 cm long, then start attaching to hosts. - Adult sharksuckers are often seen in free-swimming groups over shallow coral reefs. The open-ocean Remora species are much pickier about their hosts. - Without a swim bladder, and as fairly poor swimmers, they still rely on hosts to travel far. - **Stripe Check** (Jaw to tail the sharksucker’s side stripe): Sharksucker or common remora? Scan the side: the sharksucker has a dark stripe edged in white, while the common remora is plain dark grey-brown. [7][10] - The live sharksucker’s broad dark stripe runs from the jaw to the base of the tail fin, with white edges. - Its tail is black with white corners, and its back and belly fins are dark with white margins. - The common remora is dark brownish grey all over, with no stripe. ### Body parts - **Suction disc** (up to 26 slats (lamellae)) [1][2][3][4][5] - An oval disc on top of the head. It is the remora’s front dorsal fin, completely rebuilt: each slat (lamella) grows from a fin spine. - Remoras have as many as 26 slats, split into left and right halves down the middle of the disc. - The disc’s soft rim holds push-rod touch sensors. They were the first found in any fish; before, they were known only from monotremes (the platypus and echidnas). - The grip holds even on fast-swimming hosts, despite strong drag from the passing water. - **Slats and spinules** (2–4 rows of spinules on each slat) [6][2][1] - Muscles tip the slats up or down. Raised slats turn the disc into a chamber with lower pressure than the water outside, so the sea presses the remora on. - Each slat carries 2–4 rows of tiny, backward-pointing spikes called spinules, made of mineralised tissue like little teeth. - Spinules grip by friction, mainly on rough skin such as a shark’s. As a remora grows, its slats gain more rows and more spinules. - **Mouth** (Underbite lower jaw sticks out) [7] - The lower jaw sticks out well beyond the upper jaw. - The jaws carry many small, pointed teeth in brush-like patches (villiform teeth). - Young sharksuckers grow small teeth in the upper jaw and larger ones in the lower jaw. - **Food scraps** [8][7] - Sharksuckers eat small fishes, bits of their host’s meals and the host’s parasites. - They also catch free-living crustaceans such as crabs, and squid. - **Gills** (10–50 cm/s flow needed for ram breathing) [9] - At rest in still water, a sharksucker pumps water over its gills itself. - Once the water rushes past at 10–50 cm per second (depending on its size), it stops pumping and lets the flow do the work. This is called ram ventilation. - Pumping costs it only 3.7–5.7% more oxygen than ram breathing. - **Gut** (None swim bladder) [7][10] - The sharksucker has no swim bladder, the gas bag many fish use to float. - It is also a fairly poor swimmer, so it relies on hosts to get around. - The common remora feeds mainly on parasitic copepods, small crustaceans that live on big fish. - **Body** (86.4 cm longest common remora) [10][8][11] - The common remora is dark brownish grey and usually about 40 cm long, at most 86.4 cm. - Its relative the live sharksucker reaches 110 cm. - An attached remora is shaped like a streamlined body, so the water drags on it only a little: probably too little to pull it off, even on a fast host. - **Tail and fins** (22–26 rays in the second dorsal fin) [10][7][8] - Behind the disc, the second dorsal fin and the anal fin are long and mirror each other: 22–26 and 22–24 soft rays in the common remora. - In the live sharksucker the tail is black with distinct white corners. - Some fishers tie a line to the narrow base of a remora’s tail, let it go and haul it back with whatever it sticks to. - **The host** (≈ half of filmed sharks had companion fish) [3][12][13][14] - Common remoras mostly ride open-ocean sharks, billfishes such as marlins, and swordfish. - Each species has favourites: the whalesucker rides only whales and dolphins, and Remora albescens seems to depend on manta rays. - In a camera survey of 7 shark species in three oceans, almost half of the sharks had companion fish. - On blue whales, remoras gather where the flow separates behind bumps on the skin, which cuts their drag by up to 71–84%. ### Stats | Stat | Value | Notes | |---|---|---| | Length (common remora) | up to 86.4 cm | usually about 40 cm; The live sharksucker reaches 110 cm [10][8] | | Species | 8 | in the remora family, Echeneidae [3] | | Disc slats | up to 26 | each one began as a fin spine [3][1] | | Pull to unstick | 17.4 N | sharksucker on shark skin; 11.2 N on smooth plastic; About the pull of lifting a 1.8 kg bag [6] | | Strongest suction | 92.7 kPa | below the surrounding water pressure, when tugged; 0.5 kPa at rest; About 185 times the resting suction [6] | | Drag saved | up to 84% | in the best spots on a blue whale [14] | | Deepest ride | 1,460 m | with a whale shark, at 3.6 °C [15][10] | | Oxygen cost of pumping | +3.7–5.7% | extra oxygen a sharksucker uses to pump its gills instead of ram breathing [9] | | Longest stay on one host | 87 days | a whalesucker pair on one spinner dolphin [16] | | Early fossil remora | < 32 million years | Opisthomyzon from Switzerland, with its disc behind the head [17] | ### Photos - [Live sharksucker with its disc on show, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Echeneis_naucrates_-_Reef1980.jpg) (photo: NOAA Photo Library (NOAA CCMA Biogeography Team), CC BY 2.0) - [Common remora (Remora remora), NOAA photo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Remora_remora.jpg) (photo: NOAA CCMA Biogeography Team, Public domain) - [Live sharksucker swimming free, U.S. Virgin Islands](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Echeneis_naucrates_-_Reef1981.jpg) (photo: NOAA Photo Library (NOAA CCMA Biogeography Team), CC BY 2.0) - [Sharksucker swimming with a parrotfish, Thailand](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Echeneis_naucrates_335479137.jpg) (photo: portioid, CC BY-SA 4.0) - [Green turtle with a sharksucker](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Echeneis_naucrates_241647485.jpg) (photo: shahar chaikin, CC BY 4.0) - [Hawksbill turtle with remoras, northern Egypt](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hawksbill_turtle_in_Egypt.jpg) (photo: SEJanssen, CC BY-SA 4.0) - [Green turtle with remoras, Red Sea, Egypt](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Suppenschildkr%C3%B6te_(Chelonia_mydas)_DSCF1115WI.jpg) (photo: Kora27, CC BY-SA 4.0) - [Sperm whale mother and calf off Mauritius; the calf carries remoras](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mother_and_baby_sperm_whale.jpg) (photo: Gabriel Barathieu, CC BY-SA 2.0) ### Questions - **What is a remora fish?** A remora is one of 8 species of fish in the family Echeneidae that hitch rides on bigger animals using a suction disc on top of the head. The disc is a changed dorsal fin. [3][1] - **Why do remoras attach to sharks?** For a ride that saves energy, food scraps and parasites to eat, and a better chance of meeting a mate. Companion fish may also gain protection from predators by staying close to a big host. [19][9][8][16][13] - **How does a remora stick to a shark?** Muscles raise slats in its disc, which creates suction, while tiny spinules on the slats grip by friction. It took about 17.4 N to pull a sharksucker off shark skin. [6][2] - **Are remoras parasites?** Not exactly. They don’t suck blood; they eat scraps, small fish and parasites. But riders add drag, and some have been seen pushing into body openings of manta rays. Scientists say the relationship can shift between helpful and harmful for the host. [19][8][27] - **What do remoras eat?** Small fishes, bits of their hosts’ meals and the hosts’ parasites. The common remora mainly eats parasitic copepods, and young sharksuckers sometimes clean parasites off reef fish. [8][10][7] - **Can a remora stick to a person?** Yes. Sharksuckers have been reported following divers and attaching to their legs. They are harmless, but the rough disc can hurt. Don’t try to touch or catch them; watch from a distance. [7][8] - **How big do remoras get?** The common remora is usually about 40 cm long and at most 86.4 cm. The live sharksucker can reach 110 cm, and the marlin sucker only about 40 cm. [10][8][28] - **Are remoras endangered?** No. The common remora, live sharksucker and whalesucker are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessed in 2012). [10][8][12][26] ### Remora myths and facts Sailors’ tales, ‘bloodsucker’ rumours and real science. Which is which? - "A remora can stop a ship." **Myth!** The Roman writer Pliny the Elder claimed this fish ‘bids ships stand still’, and blamed one for holding up Mark Antony’s ship at the Battle of Actium. The name remora is Latin for ‘delay’. Remoras do stick to ships’ hulls, but a fish this size cannot stop one. [18][10] - "A remora’s suction disc is a changed fin." **Fact!** Studies of growing remoras show each slat forms from a spine of the front dorsal fin. A fossil remora from Switzerland, a little under 32 million years old, had a simpler disc further back, behind the head. [1][17] - "Remoras suck blood from their hosts." **Myth!** The ‘sucker’ is on top of the head, not the mouth, and works like a suction cup with grip spikes. Remoras eat scraps, small fish and tiny parasites, not blood. [6][8][10] - "Remoras always help their hosts by cleaning off parasites." **Not proven!** Remoras do eat parasites, but nobody has measured whether that outweighs the costs to hosts, such as extra drag. Scientists now think the relationship slides between helpful and harmful, depending on time and place. [19][10] - "A remora sticks on by suction alone." **Myth!** Suction is only part of it. Tiny spinules on the slats add friction. On rough shark skin, sharksuckers used less suction but held on more strongly. [6][2] - "Remoras only ride sharks." **Myth!** They also ride rays, mantas, turtles, whales, dolphins, big bony fish and ships. The whalesucker rides only whales and dolphins. [8][3][20] - "People have used remoras to go fishing." **Fact!** Fishers have tied a line to a remora’s tail and released it. When it stuck to a fish or turtle, they hauled both in. [8][7] - "Remoras stay in shallow water." **Myth!** Common remoras usually live in the top 200 m, but one stayed on a diving whale shark all the way down to 1,460 m. [10][15] ### Remora records Superlatives from remora studies, each checked against its source. - Deepest remora on record: Common remora on a whale shark, 1,460 m (water 3.6 °C; a pilot fish reached 900 m on the same dive) [15] - Best seat on a blue whale: Remoras on blue whales, up to 84% (less drag than in open water, in the most popular spots) [14] - First proof of a faithful ride: Whalesucker pair on a spinner dolphin, 87 days (another pair stayed 47 days; Fernando de Noronha, Brazil) [16] - First fish with push-rod touch sensors: The remora’s disc lip, 2020 (these sensors were known before only from the platypus and echidnas) [4] - Early fossil remora: Opisthomyzon glaronensis, Switzerland, < 32 million years (its disc sat behind the head and had no spinules) [17] - Remora-inspired super grip: MUSAS device (2025), 1,391× (its own weight, on soft, wet surfaces; the 2017 robot disc managed 340×) [21][5] ### A day riding with a remora Most remoras spend their days on the move with a host. These are the jobs in a remora’s day, from studies of real riders. - **Hitching on**: Find a ride. A remora swims up to a big animal and presses its disc to the skin. On blue whales, remoras gather where the flow is calmest. [6][14] - **Cruising**: Breathe for free. With water rushing past at 10–50 cm per second, it stops pumping its gills and lets the flow through its mouth. [9] - **Moving about**: Slide and skim. It can slide along the skin while attached, or skim just above it, staying in the low-drag zone. [14] - **Snack time**: Grab leftovers. When the host feeds, a remora may grab scraps of its meal, or pick tiny parasitic copepods off the skin. [8][10] - **Deep dive**: Hang on tight. If the host dives, the remora goes too. One stayed on a whale shark down to 1,460 m. [15] - **Meeting up**: Find a partner. Riding the same host helps remoras meet. Two whalesuckers rode side by side on one dolphin’s belly for 87 days and were probably a breeding pair. [16] ### Growing up remora From a drifting egg to a hitchhiker, based mostly on the live sharksucker. - **Spring and summer**: Eggs in open water. Sharksuckers spawn in spring and summer in most places, and in autumn in the Mediterranean. Their large, round eggs drift in the sea. In the Gulf of Mexico, spawning peaks in August. [7][22] - **Hatching**: Tiny larva. Hatchlings are only 4.7–7.5 mm long, with a big yolk sac and eyes that have no colour yet. [7] - **Growing**: The disc forms. As the young fish grows, the front dorsal fin spines turn into the slats of the disc, and each slat gains more spinules. [7][1] - **≈1 year, ≈3 cm**: First ride. Young sharksuckers live free for about a year, until they are about 3 cm long, then start attaching to hosts. [7] - **Adult**: Bigger riders, bigger hosts. Females grow more slowly but end up bigger than males (on average about 60 cm against 48 cm at full size). The bigger the sharksucker, the bigger its host tends to be. [22] ### Remora vs sharksucker vs pilot fish Three famous shark companions. Only two of them can stick. | | Common remora | Live sharksucker | Pilot fish | |---|---|---|---| | Scientific name [10][8][23] | Remora remora | Echeneis naucrates | Naucrates ductor | | Family [10][7][23] | Echeneidae (remoras) | Echeneidae (remoras) | Carangidae (jacks) | | Suction disc [10][7][23] | Yes | Yes | No | | Longest [10][8][23] | 86.4 cm | 110 cm | 70 cm | | Looks [10][7][23] | Plain dark brownish grey | Dark side stripe edged in white | Bluish with 6–7 dark bars | | Main hosts [3][24][15][8][23] | Open-ocean sharks (whale sharks too), billfishes, swordfish | Almost anything: sharks, rays, bony fish, turtles, whales, ships | Sharks, rays, big bony fish, turtles | | Usual depth [10][8][23] | 0–200 m | 1–85 m | 0–300 m | | Deepest seen with a host [15] | 1,460 m | Not known | 900 m | | IUCN Red List [10][8][23] | Least Concern | Least Concern | Least Concern | Pilot fish are jacks, not remoras. Their young often shelter under jellyfish and drifting seaweed. ### Robots inspired by the remora Engineers copy the remora’s disc to build grippers that stick under water and let go when told. - **340×** its own weight. A 3D-printed disc with carbon-fibre spinules, modelled on the live sharksucker, held up to 340 times its own weight and let a small robot hitchhike, even on shark skin (2017). [5] - **≈60%** better than a live remora. A simple copy of the disc held better as slats were added, and on shark-skin-like roughness it beat the grip of live remoras by almost 60% (2019). [25] - **1,391×** grip-to-weight ratio. A 2025 device built on remora tricks sticks to soft, wet surfaces such as the lining of the gut, to carry tiny sensors and slow-release medicines. [21] These are research devices, tested in the lab and in animal studies. ### Are remoras endangered? No. The common remora and its relatives are listed as Least Concern, but they depend on big hosts that are in trouble in many places. - **IUCN Red List:** Least Concern (LC) (Trend unknown). The common remora, the live sharksucker and the whalesucker are all listed as Least Concern. Common remoras live in warm seas worldwide. [10][26][8][12] - IUCN Red List, assessed 23 August 2012 - **Threat: Losing their hosts**: Remoras need big animals to ride. Scientists warn that falling numbers of hosts could pull down their companion fish too. [13] - **Threat: Changing seas**: Whether sharks carry companion fish depends on sea temperature, salinity and wind, all of which climate change can alter. [13] - **Threat: Fishing**: Common remoras and sharksuckers are caught in some fisheries and by sport anglers. [10][8] - **Helping: Protected areas**: Across three oceans, sharks in partly protected areas were more likely to have companion fish, and in strongly protected areas they had more of them. [13] - **Helping: Protecting hosts**: Sharks, rays, turtles and whales carry remoras with them, so protecting the hosts protects the riders too. [13] - **Helping: Divers’ observations**: Photos and videos from divers and researchers keep revealing new remora behaviour, such as the 2026 reports from manta rays. [27] - **Live sharksucker (Echeneis naucrates)** (LC): Reef and coastal remora; assessed in 2012. [8][26] - **Whalesucker (Remora australis)** (LC): Rides only whales and dolphins; assessed in 2012. [12][26] ### Species - **Common remora**: Dark brownish grey all over, usually about 40 cm long and at most 86.4 cm, with a disc of slats on its head. (Open ocean; mostly on sharks, billfishes and swordfish) [10][3] - **Live sharksucker**: Slender, with a broad dark side stripe edged in white and a black tail with white corners. Up to 110 cm long. (Rides almost anything, or swims free over reefs) [7][8][3] - **Whalesucker**: Up to 76 cm long. Found only on whales, dolphins and porpoises, sometimes in pairs on the belly. (Whale and dolphin specialist) [12][3][16] - **Juvenile**: Hatches at under 1 cm with a big yolk sac. The disc forms as it grows, and young sharksuckers swim free until they are about 3 cm long. (Some young sharksuckers clean parasites off reef fish) [7][1] ### Remora quiz 1. What is a remora’s suction disc made from? **A changed dorsal fin.** Each slat of the disc forms from a spine of the front dorsal fin. [1] 2. How many remora species are there? **8.** The remora family, Echeneidae, has 8 species. [3] 3. What are spinules? **Tiny tooth-like spikes on the disc slats.** Spinules are tiny mineralised spikes that grip by friction. [2] 4. How much force did it take to pull a sharksucker off shark skin? **About 17.4 N.** About 17.4 N, more than the 11.2 N needed on smooth plastic. [6] 5. How deep did a common remora ride with a whale shark? **1,460 m.** It stayed on the whale shark down to 1,460 m, where the water was 3.6 °C. [15] 6. What does the Latin word ‘remora’ mean? **Delay.** Remora means ‘delay’ or ‘hindrance’, from the old belief that these fish slowed ships. [10] 7. Which remora rides only whales and dolphins? **Whalesucker.** The whalesucker attaches only to cetaceans: whales, dolphins and porpoises. [12][3] 8. How does a riding remora breathe? **It lets the passing water flow over its gills.** On a moving host it switches to ram ventilation and lets the flow do the work. [9] 9. What did the 2020 blue whale study find? **Remoras pick spots that cut their drag by up to 84%.** Remoras gathered in sheltered spots that cut drag by up to 71–84%. [14] 10. How can you tell a live sharksucker from a common remora? **A dark side stripe edged in white.** The sharksucker’s dark stripe runs from jaw to tail; the common remora is plain dark grey-brown. [7][10] 11. What could a 2017 remora-inspired disc do? **Hold up to 340 times its own weight.** The robotic disc held up to 340 times its weight and let a robot hitchhike. [5] 12. How long did a whalesucker pair stay on one spinner dolphin? **87 days.** The pair stayed side by side on the dolphin’s belly for 87 days. [16] ### Sources (checked 2026-10-16) 1. [Britz R, Johnson GD (2012). Ontogeny and homology of the skeletal elements that form the sucking disc of remoras (Teleostei, Echeneoidei, Echeneidae). Journal of Morphology 273:1353–1366.](https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.20063) 2. [Beckert M, Flammang BE, Nadler JH (2015). Remora fish suction pad attachment is enhanced by spinule friction. Journal of Experimental Biology 218:3551–3558.](https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.123893) 3. [Kenaley CP, Stote A, Ludt WB, Chakrabarty P (2019). Comparative functional and phylogenomic analyses of host association in the remoras (Echeneidae), a family of hitchhiking fishes. Integrative Organismal Biology 1:obz007.](https://doi.org/10.1093/iob/obz007) 4. [Cohen KE, Flammang BE, Crawford CH, Hernandez LP (2020). Knowing when to stick: touch receptors found in the remora adhesive disc. Royal Society Open Science 7:190990.](https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.190990) 5. [Wang Y, Yang X, Chen Y, Wainwright DK, Kenaley CP, Gong Z, Liu Z, Liu H, Guan J, et al. (2017). A biorobotic adhesive disc for underwater hitchhiking inspired by the remora suckerfish. Science Robotics 2:eaan8072.](https://doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.aan8072) 6. [Fulcher BA, Motta PJ (2006). Suction disk performance of echeneid fishes. Canadian Journal of Zoology 84:42–50.](https://doi.org/10.1139/z05-167) 7. [Florida Museum of Natural History. Sharksucker (Echeneis naucrates). Discover Fishes species profile.](https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/echeneis-naucrates/) 8. [Froese R, Pauly D (eds) (2025). Echeneis naucrates, Live sharksucker. FishBase (version 2025).](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Echeneis-naucrates.html) 9. [Steffensen JF, Lomholt JP (1983). Energetic cost of active branchial ventilation in the sharksucker, Echeneis naucrates. Journal of Experimental Biology 103:185–192.](https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.103.1.185) 10. [Froese R, Pauly D (eds) (2025). Remora remora, Shark sucker. FishBase (version 2025).](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Remora-remora.html) 11. [Beckert M, Flammang BE, Anderson EJ, Nadler JH (2016). Theoretical and computational fluid dynamics of an attached remora (Echeneis naucrates). Zoology 119.](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.zool.2016.06.004) 12. [Froese R, Pauly D (eds) (2025). Remora australis, Whalesucker. FishBase (version 2025).](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Remora-australis.html) 13. [Walker JK, Meeuwig JJ, Thompson CDH (2026). Environmental and protection effects of shark-companion associations across three ocean basins. Ecology and Evolution.](https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73823) 14. [Flammang BE, Marras S, Anderson EJ, Lehmkuhl O, Mukherjee A, Cade DE, Beckert M, et al. (2020). Remoras pick where they stick on blue whales. Journal of Experimental Biology 223:jeb226654.](https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.226654) 15. [Fontes J, Castellano-González G, Macena BCL, Afonso P (2023). Hitchhiking to the abyss. Ecology and Evolution 13:e10126.](https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10126) 16. [Silva-Jr JM, Sazima I (2003). Whalesuckers and a spinner dolphin bonded for weeks: does host fidelity pay off? Biota Neotropica 3(2):1–5.](https://doi.org/10.1590/S1676-06032003000200012) 17. [Friedman M, Johanson Z, Harrington RC, Near TJ, Graham MR (2013). An early fossil remora (Echeneoidea) reveals the evolutionary assembly of the adhesion disc. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 280:20131200.](https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.1200) 18. [Pliny the Elder (c. 77 CE). The Natural History, Book 32, chapter 1 (trans. J. Bostock, H. T. Riley, 1855). Perseus Digital Library.](http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0137:book=32:chapter=1) 19. [Gayford JH (2024). The multidimensional spectrum of eco-evolutionary relationships between sharks and remoras. Journal of Fish Biology.](https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15759) 20. [Sazima I, Grossman A (2006). Turtle riders: remoras on marine turtles in Southwest Atlantic. Neotropical Ichthyology 4:123–126.](https://doi.org/10.1590/S1679-62252006000100014) 21. [Kang Z, Gomez JA, Ross AM, Kirtane AR, Zhao M, Cai Y, Chen FX, et al. (2025). Mechanical underwater adhesive devices for soft substrates. Nature.](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09304-4) 22. [Bachman BA, Kraus R, Peterson CT, Grubbs RD, Peters EC (2018). Growth and reproduction of Echeneis naucrates from the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Journal of Fish Biology 93.](https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.13790) 23. [Froese R, Pauly D (eds) (2025). Naucrates ductor, Pilotfish. FishBase (version 2025).](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Naucrates-ductor.html) 24. [Green SM, Hearn A, Green JR (2023). Species associated with whale sharks Rhincodon typus in the Galapagos Archipelago. Biodiversity Data Journal 11:e97864.](https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.11.e97864) 25. [Gamel KM, Garner AM, Flammang BE (2019). Bioinspired remora adhesive disc offers insight into evolution. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics 14:056014.](https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-3190/ab3895) 26. [Wikidata. Echeneidae (Q239771); Common remora (Q749460, IUCN status Least Concern, IUCN ID 198651); Live sharksucker (Q1156517); Whalesucker (Q850041).](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q239771) 27. [Yeager EA, Pate J, Stevens GMW, Turffs B, Macdonald C (2026). Hiding in plain sight: evidence of Echeneidae cloacal and gill diving behavior in manta ray hosts. Ecology and Evolution.](https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73548) 28. [Froese R, Pauly D (eds) (2025). Remora osteochir, Marlin sucker. FishBase (version 2025).](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Remora-osteochir.html) ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 30-86.4 cm - **Weight:** 0.5-2.5 kg - **Lifespan:** 5-10 years - **Maximum Depth:** 1460 m - **Water Type:** Saltwater ## Diet & Feeding Remoras eat scraps from their host's meals, small fish and tiny parasites. The common remora mostly eats parasitic copepods, which are small crustaceans. - **Primary Foods:** parasitic copepods, scraps from the host's meals, small fish - **Foraging Method:** Scavenging ## Ecological connections - **Symbiotic with:** [Tiger Shark](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tiger-shark) (*Galeocerdo cuvier*) — Hitches rides on big sharks like this one and can grab scraps from their meals. - **Symbiotic with:** Giant Oceanic Manta Ray (*Mobula birostris*) — Some remoras ride on manta rays. Scientists are still studying whether this helps the manta or bothers it. - **Symbiotic with:** Green Sea Turtle (*Chelonia mydas*) — Sometimes rides on sea turtles for a free trip. Scientists have not shown that this helps the turtle. ## Traits - [Wildlife](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wildlife): Wildlife encompasses all undomesticated animal and plant life existing in their natural habitats. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Symbiotic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/symbiotic): Describes a relationship between two different species where they live in close association, often benefiting one or both. - [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. - [Marine](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/marine): Marine habitats encompass all saltwater environments of the Earth's oceans, supporting an immense diversity of aquatic life. ## Collections - [Fish](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fish) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Remoras are harmless, but their rough suction disc can hurt. Don't try to touch or catch them, and stay away from the big animals they ride. Watch from a distance, and tell an adult if one sticks to you. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Remora? Look at body shape, where the fins sit and their outline, mouth position, stripes and spots. Young fish and breeding adults can wear different patterns, and aquarium color varieties can look nothing like wild fish. Fish Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Remora? 30-86.4 cm ### How much does Remora weigh? 0.5-2.5 kg ### How long does Remora live? 5-10 years ### What does Remora eat? Remoras eat scraps from their host's meals, small fish and tiny parasites. The common remora mostly eats parasitic copepods, which are small crustaceans. ### Where is Remora usually found? Marine ### How deep can Remora go? 1460 m ## More Fish - [Rainbow Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/rainbow-trout) (*Oncorhynchus mykiss*) - [Brown Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-trout) (*Salmo trutta*) - [Brook Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brook-trout) (*Salvelinus fontinalis*) - [Lake Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/lake-trout) (*Salvelinus namaycush*) --- Source: [Remora: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/remora)