Our Friends, the Remoras

The Tuamotus Diaries #19, Day 39 – July 6^th 2016

Among the many species of fish that live on the reef that surrounds us here in Makemo, a very interesting one are the Remoras. These fish eat mostly the leftovers from other fish, particularly when they eat. It is not uncommon to see Remoras very close to sharks, for this very reason – as the sharks feed on their pray, the Remoras swipe away everything that is left from the feast.

They are so specialized in eating leftovers that they have developed suction pads on the upper side of their heads. This allows them to attach to whatever provides enough leftovers to support their existence. Again, it is not uncommon to see Remoras attached to sharks, or even whales.

And now, to Pesto !

The Remoras of Makemo have learned that boats are a rich source of nutritive leftovers. And now that Pesto is the sole permanent resident of the Punakura anchorage, we have a whole pod of Remoras all to ourselves !

They spend most of the day attached to our hull, near the hole where our sink water exits. As I clean up our dishes, they swipe up all the little crumbles that go with the flush water.

More interesting it is when we have enough crumbles or left overs to let go over the side. The Ramoras are so used to our patterns that they will swim to the surface whenever we come on deck with dishes, and then they get on a frenzy as we throw them the delicious snacks.

The kids have in fact been leaving too much left overs on their dishes, to keep the Remoras happy. This is even more true when a passing boat stays here for a couple of days, and we feel concerned our friends may be lured by the different tastes and textures.

But, up to now, our friends have been faithful to our leftovers. And we enjoy their company 🙂

Click on the image below to watch a short video of our friends, the Remoras, swimming under Pesto:

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING !!!!