Scientists at Bangor University have shown for the first time, that sharks visit shallow tropical reefs or ‘seamounts’, to benefit from cleaning services and rid themselves of cumbersome parasites. The strategy is risky however, since by being there, they become vulnerable to interference from human activity.
The paper published in PLoS ONE, (14 March 2011) describes the first observations of thresher sharks venturing into shallow coastal waters to interact with cleaner wrasse, a type of small fish that groom other fish species. Thresher sharks live in the open oceans and much of the knowledge of them to date is based on fisheries bycatch.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Researchers reveal that sharks are hygienic | Science Blog
