Pilot fish . A stylized scavenger fish that accompanies large fish, especially sharks , and slow-moving ships transiting temperate and tropical seas. It is common on European coasts. Pilot fish often remain in the vicinity of floating or moving objects for months.
Summary
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- 1 Emergence of the name
- 2 Features
- 3 Food
- 4 He lives
- 5 Sources
Origin of the name
Ancient Greek sailors apparently believed that the pilot fish, which appeared around their ships as they approached land, were trying to guide them back to port, so they gave them this name: pilot fish (Greek πομπίλος). The myth of Pompilo tells of the conversion of a sailor of this name into a pilot fish.
Features
Blue – grey in color and up to 61 cm long, it has four small spines in front of the dorsal fin and five or six vertical bands on the body. The hatchlings are very different, with large eyes and spines around their heads . They often hide under algae and jellyfish, including the man-of-war.
The pilot fish is famous for accompanying boats and sharks, apparently to feed on their parasites and food scraps. Their relationship with sharks is practically symbiotic: it is extremely rare for a shark to eat a pilot fish, and pilot fish have been seen entering sharks’ mouths to clean food debris from their teeth.
Feeding
It behaves like a cleaner fish, although it also catches prey for food.
Habitat
It is widespread, living in the open ocean in temperate or tropical waters.