Pearlfishes are unique in their own crazy way and have some of the most unusual living habitats. These slender eel like fish belonging to the Carapidae family do not inhabit pristine coral bommies or live in rocky mounds. No. Instead, these spaghetti shaped fish prefer living in the body cavity of living invertebrates, especially sea cucumbers. Keep reading to watch how this creature carries out its highly bizzare act.
QualityMarine provided the world with this rare footage showing how a Pearlfish (Carapus bermudensis) professionally enters its home – The body cavity of a sea cucumber. In an almost zen like and eccentric manner, the pearlfish first locates the cloaca of the sea cucumber with its needle like tail and then swiftly makes a turn while entering backwards.
Although this highly unusual and unorthodox behaviour seems painful and detrimental to the cucumber host, many pearlfishes do not cause harm and are commensal. Other hosts include a selected range of invertebrates, but the cucumber and pearlfish pairing has got to be the strangest and most interesting one.
