Mutualism, Commensalism or Parasitism?

• Some shrimp and crab live and capture food from within the tentacles of giant anemones.

Mutualism, Commensalism or Parasitism?

• A pearlfish spends the day inside the alimentary tract, or intestines, of a sea cucumber. The fish emerges from the sea cucumber at night to feed on small crustaceans. The pearlfish gets a safe place to live. The sea cucumber does not gain anything from the relationship, nor is it harmed. 

Mutualism, Commensalism or Parasitism?

• A cymothoid isopod lives inside the mouth of a snapper fish. The isopod severs blood vessels in the fish’s tongue, causing the tongue to atrophy and degenerate. The isopod then hooks its pereopods, or legs, to the base of the fish’s tongue, essentially replacing the tongue. The isopod stays there for the rest of its life, feeding on blood, mucus, and stray pieces of food from the fish.

Mutualism, Commensalism or Parasitism?

Mutualism, Commensalism or Parasitism?

Mutualism, Commensalism or Parasitism?

Mutualism, Commensalism or Parasitism?