Pilot fish: little friends of big sharks

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:48

In the distant warm seas and oceans lives an inconspicuous fish with striped sides and a pointed head. Like many other fish, it feeds on crustaceans, small relatives and molluscs. Sometimes sent for migration.

It could be said that the pilot is a fish that is no different from many thousands of others. But she also has an amazing feature that has not so many analogues.

Species

The pilot is a fish belonging to the order Perciformes. She is a close relative of horse mackerels. This fish is eaten, but the lion's share of the catch belongs to amateur fishermen, and not to large vessels. The fact is that pilots usually live in small flocks, which are pointless to hunt, because nearby there are huge flocks of horse mackerel, mackerel and other much more valuable species. But on the hook of a fishing rod, this fish sometimes comes across. By the way, sometimes it becomes the prey of the Black Sea fishermen.

This fish can reach half a meter in length, but most individuals do not exceed 30 cm in length. Its body is painted in a blue-silver hue, and several dark blue stripes descend from the back to the sides. On the lower surface of the body of the pilot fish is a pointed fin.

The unusual friends of the pilot fish

“To whom the bride is a mare,” said the notorious janitor Tikhon to Ostap Bender. “And to whom the White Shark is the closest girlfriend,” a pilot fish would certainly say if it could speak. Yes, yes, small groups of striped fish spend most of their lives next to the storm of the seas and oceans. It is noteworthy that completely different types of sharks become the best friends of pilots.

Scientists, researchers of the underwater world, ordinary divers, travelers - who just did not try to find answers to the question about this incomprehensible friendship. But today it is not known for certain why the pilot fish and the shark spend their whole lives shoulder to shoulder.

Myths and legends

And there are many versions. To separate the wheat from the chaff, you need to understand where the name came from. What is a pilot? After all, the fish was so named for a reason. In maritime terminology, this word refers to a boatmaster who is familiar with the underwater terrain and knows how to plot a course. Most likely, this fish owes its name to one of the main misconceptions, which says: a pilot fish accompanies a visually impaired shark, helping to find food and avoid dangers. For this, they say, the shark allows its little striped guides to pick up crumbs from its royal table.

There is another version. According to her, the pilot feeds on shark feces or parasites attached to its skin.covers.

Perhaps the shark is only for protection? This version has neither evidence nor refutation. The shark does not rush to protect the pilots, and hardly anyone will dare to attack the companions of a dangerous predator. But even this assumption raises one question: why does the shark not try to feast on pilots? After all, this fish is edible, tasty and quite comparable to other prey that make up the diet of sharks.

And also the pilot is a fish, which is often confused with a sticky one. A lot is known about the relationship between sticky and sharks. Of course, you can’t call them real parasitism, because sticking does not harm the shark. But the fact that one fish simply lives at the expense of the second does not cause disputes. She can't even move on her own. Pilots are not riders, they just swim side by side.

Scientific versions

Although science does not know for sure what connects sharks and pilot fish, scientists know for sure about what exactly does not and cannot be. The version about navigational functions is untenable, if only because sharks have enviable eyesight, and their sense of smell is even better, they navigate perfectly even in muddy water.

The version about eating leftovers (and even more so parasites and feces) is even more unfounded. The stomachs of pilots have been studied more than once, and scientists have been observing their behavior for a long time. Cruising next to a shark, pilots periodically pick up gaping fish or crustaceans and eat them.

Scientists have also found that if a shark fights with an enemy or becomes a preyhunters, the striped cortege leaves her instantly, and then proceeds to search for a new patroness.

Other strange friends

The pilot is a fish that is "friends" not only with the most dangerous predator of the ocean. Often, divers find her in the company of huge turtles, rays, and other large marine life. Scientists are studying their behavior, trying to unravel the mystery of this strange coexistence, which you can’t even call symbiosis - because neither side receives any obvious benefit. But so far, they have a lot more questions than answers.