The Remora (Echeneis naucrates), also called the live sharksucker, or slender sharksucker, is a species of marine fish in the family Echeneidae, the remoras.
The dorsal fin, which has 22 to 26 soft rays, acts as a suction cup, creating a vacuum to allow it to attach to larger marine animals, such as whales, dolphins, sharks, rays, and sea turtles.
This remora is commonly found in warm marine waters and has been seen in the western Mediterranean and the Atlantic, as well as the North Sea. The remora consumes food scraps from its host, as well as plankton and parasitic copepods.
Remora and its host seem to partake in a symbiotic relationship; the remora does not seem to have a negative overall effect on its host. The host provides the remora with fast-moving water to bathe its gills, a steady flow of food, transportation, and protection. The remora benefits the host by feeding in part on some of its parasites, but increases its hydrodynamical drag. The remora's attachment to one host can last for up to three months. During this time, the remora can move its attachment site if it feels threatened. The remora cannot survive in still water; it needs water flow over its gills to provide it oxygen.