Pistol Shrimp and Watchmen Gobies The pistol shrimp is effectively blind but has a very powerful claw that when snapped shut actually vaporizes the water and is said to be close to the heat of the sun for a split second. The goby on the other hand has no real defense. So the two bond up and generally dig a little burrow. The goby acts as the eyes and the shrimp defends the home.
Clownfish and Anemones – Anemone provides protection to the clownfish in return for the clownfish feeding and caring for the anemone.
Porcelain Crab and Anemones pretty much same as the clownfish except the crab doesnt so much provide food as it does protection.
Cleaner Wrasse and many fish. The wrasse will eat any kinds of parasites off the animals. There are some asshole fish that take advantage of this relationship. They look just like cleaner wrasse so fish will allow them to get close expecting to get cleaned but the impostor instead just bites the fish.
Cleaner shrimp – same deal as above.
Acropora Crab and Acropora Coral The coral provides a safe home to the crab while in return the crab will keep the coral clean and free of algae that could smother it. The crab will also fight off predators like crown of thorn starfish that would otherwise devour the coral.
Deep sea fish and bioluminescent bacteria Bioluminescence provides a whole array of possibilities to the fish down below. Be it to attract pray like anglers do; quickly escape in a cloud of bio luminescence to confuse like small shrimp; or simply mimic the sunlight above like hatchet fish employ.
Pom Pom crab and Anemones The pom pom crab carries around one small anemone in each claw. The anemones are used as a weapon by the crab to ward off potential predators. In return, the anemone is able to travel a lot faster and farther being exposed to more food.
Squat lobsters and venomous urchins The urchins dont really get anything from this relationship, but the tiny lobster (that is actually a shrimp) hides among its spines for protection
Decorator crabs these crabs will attach live coral and sponge to their shells for camouflage. Like the pom pom crab’s anemone, these sponges and coral are now stationary and get exposed to more food.
Zooxanthellae algae and Coral – The algae is given a safe place to grow inside the coral and in return it provides 90% of the corals food. This algae is also the reason why coral is so brightly colored.
Mastigias papua Jellyfish and Zooxanthellae algae Like coral, the jellyfish uses the algae that resides inside of it as food.
I tried to stick to relationships that exhibited either mutualism and commensalism but we’ll end on a parasite cause its pretty bitchin
Cymothoa exigua and fish cymothoa exigua is a small isopod parasite. It eats the tongue off the fish and then attaches itself in place. From that point on whenever the fish eats, the isopod gets a bit for himself. Talk about an easy meal.
I feel like there are a million more ocean examples I know that I cant think of right now.
