The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-09-03
FISH THAT CLING TO LARGE FISH

pany, and the junk dealer in question SUI
fered serious loes In his income.
FISH THAT CLING TO LARGE FISH
singular Remoras which Arc Found At
tendant Upon Sharks.
Nearly all sharks have attendant re-
moras. have found them on the sword
fish, drum, black grouper and even upon
turtles In the Mexican Gulf, writes Charles
F. Holder In the Scientific American, and
have also caught them when none Of these
fishes was in tho vicinity. When q large
shark is seen near the surface, on It's dun
colored hide, or against it, will be seen
very distinct black streak parallel with the
body about . foot long. Often several
will be SEEM II at such time bait Is thrown
over, the black streak separates itself
from its protector and appears as long,
slender Aatheaded fish, the remora. that
in sense Is parasitic upon tho shark.
So strong Is the instinct Of the remora
to cling to the largo fish that In most In
stances 1t will refuse to leave 1t when the
latter IL hauled out Of the water, clinging
with such energy that 1t can only be torn
away by the display Of much strength.
I have seen them come ashore on the ham
merhead at Santa Catalina, hugo speoi-
men which I captured after several hours,
and which only started inshore when four
boats were made fast to it. have also
seen II on the sand shark and the white
shark in the Mexican Gulf, and doubtless
other large fishes are used as a refuge by
one or more species.
The remora Is easily tanned have
kept several in confinement to experiment
with, and legend and pseudo history have
played many, merry pranks with them.
stayers, and several Of the classics contain
references to them-fshes that fastened
the mselves to the war galleys and aided IN
their defeat by holding them back. 1t
will be remembered that Pliny, among
others, gravely informs us that Antony's
ship at Ac tium was held by re mora, though
several hundred sailors pulled at the oars.
Then, too, we are told that Caligula's ship
was held between Astura and Actium by
remora that was seen clinging to the rudder.
pulling successfully against the oars OF 400
stalwart seamen.
The peculiar feature Of the remora Is the
large sucker on the top Of it's head. The
fish appears to be tipped upside down;
but, as stated, the sucker is on the top OF
the head, and doubtless Is modification
sucker. which clings so tightly that ! have
lifted bucket full of water by allowing
The fish to attach itself to the bottom and
lifting it by the tail. This sucker resembles
Venetian blind with its cleats, being made
up of cartilaginous plates in double series
disk is on the head and neck and often
overhangs the mouth and always the eyes,
calling to mind in a very superficial way
some Of the hornbills among birds.
dark, or lead colored, sometimes striped,
and presents a singular appearance as
it swims about. once saw q very
large maneater, possibly fifteen feet in
length, swimming about my boat in a
deliberate fashion, and as attendants 1t had
six or seven remoras and as many pilot
fishes. The latter swan near its head,
venturing only few feet away. while the
remoras roamed about in every direction,
and when threw pieces OF crayfish into
the water they rushed at it greedily, but
were not joined by the pilots:
shark, swordfish and animal which in their
savage rush at prey crush and macerate
1t, so that particles escape into the open
water which can be secured.
and has from twenty to twenty-eight
lamire. Its color is brown. with dark
belly, dark stripe, with white edge en-
tending along the side and through the
eye. This appears to be worldwide
roamer, carried hither and yon by large
Continent, and especially in southern seas:
1t is of this remora that the story Is told
that fishermen employ 1t In the Caribbean
Sea to catch turtles.
The remora is kept, 30 runs the story,
in a pail; ring il placed about it's tail and
to this line When the men sight turtle
the remora is slipped overheard, and it Is
supposed darts at the turtle, seizes 1t, and
holds on with such firmness and vigor
that the animal can be hauled in. ] lived
on the Florida reef, winter and summer
several years and had remarkable ex-
perience with the various fishes, and among
other things experimental with the remora;
but the fish invariably refused to dart after
the turtle, preferrng to find shelter under
the boat. One tossed at a shark was seized
by the latter, that doubtless thought 1t
votive Offering.
Possibly something was wrong; our
remoras may have been stale: they surely
were not ship stayers, or turtle. 1donot mean
to insinuate that this tale Is not possible,
IA 30 good an authority as Columbus refers
British consul at Zanzibar, described fishing
with the remora in that latitude. The
fishes, it IL said. are kept in well, and the
ring is 30 firmly placed on the tail that 1t
becomes imbedded in the flesh. so that
large turtle can be caught by them ,ou., ..
Gloucester. and at Monterey on the Pacific
side, and ia the common ship slayer OF
song and story.
The genus Remora is we'll known, the
species OF that name being a dark fish
about fifteen inches in length. with large
sucking disk, and found on the large sharks
that are commonly caught at Santa Cata-
lima in summer especially the huge monsters
that affect the Grouper banks In the San
Clemente channel. I saw four or five OF
these remoras on one large specimen, and
the same fish is taken on large sharks at
Nantucket and Block Island in the summer,
and occasionally found on the large sword
fishes Of the latter waters. 1t is also com
mon on the Florida reef, and said to follow
the big sailfsh OF Cuban waters.
The so.ealled white Iemora, which Is not
fourteen lamine In the sucking disk. 1t Is
found in the warm waters Of the Pacific
Ocean, and doubtless strays North In sum-
mer, when many large varieties OF sharks
60 North.
Very little, il anything, is known Of the
breeding habits OF remoras. In Florida l
kept them in dead coral enclosures In order
to watch them, but could never find the
young.