Sharks can be deadly predators of marine life, but they are also attractive to fish that want to have a day off by simply rubbing their rough skin.
The University of Miami recorded drone footage that captured the unusual rituals.
Researchers looked through photos and drone footage of underwater scenes, witness reports, as well as underwater videos, to discover 47 cases where fish rub up against the shark’s bodies at over a dozen different locations.
These regimens lasted from 8 seconds to over five minutes and featured dozens of instances of garrick (leerfish) rubbing up against great white sharks, South Africa’s ultimate oceanic predator.
There were many fish that chafed against the sharks, ranging from one swimmer to more than 100.
According to the school, ‘Experiences of sharks chafing have been documented, but this study shows that this behavior is more widespread than was previously thought’.
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Dozens of leerish rub up against a deadly Great White Shark in South Africa, using its sandpaper skin to exfoliate. The University of Miami researchers have found that the underwater spa day is quite widespread.
The study, published in Ecology, was done by University of Miami’s Shark Research and Conservation Program located at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.
Co-author Neil Hammerschlag, the director of the school’s shark program said that the skin of the shark is covered with small, tooth-like denticles called dermal dieticles.
“We believe that shark skin irritations and parasites might be removed by chafing, which could lead to improved fish health.
The video captures of the sharks are quite uninteresting and they don’t even try to eat their clients.
Researchers found that a dozen finfish chafed against eight species of sharks, lasting anywhere from five to ten minutes. Pictured is a silky shark rubbing on the whale shark’s head
Researchers found that chafing was observed in fin fish against 8 species of sharks, which included great whites.
According to the statement, Lacey Williams (a graduate researcher from the Rosenstiel School), chafing between fish and non-animate objects like sand and rocky substrate has been documented. However, the shark-chaffing phenomenon seems to be unique in that prey actively searches for and rubs up against predators.
‘We suspect that chafing against shark skin might play a vital role in the removal of parasites or other skin irritants, thus improving fish health and fitness,’ said study co-author Neil Hammerschlag. Pictured is a great white shark, surrounded with fish at South Africa’s Plettenberg Beach.
This aerial footage shows fish approaching a shark in their treatment room. There are many ways that fish can chafe against sharks. It could be one individual swimmer or more.
Other sharks are also involved in the game, as eight-foot silky sharks scrub against huge whale sharks that can grow to more than 60 feet.
Adventurous humans have been known to get pedicures by letting tiny garra rufa fish nibble at hard skin on the soles of their feet, but this underwater spa treatment appears to be mutual.
Researchers at Wales’ Bangor University observed thresher sharks in the Philippines swimming around schools of fish that happily devoured dead skin and parasites off their skin.
Sharks were first observed to be lingering in the seamounts of underwater mountains.
Simon Oliver, a marine biologist, was the one who conducted the study. He said there was no question that the sharks went there to get a scrub.
According to him, they’systematically circle’ for approximately 45 minutes at speeds below two miles an hour or half their usual speed.
After that, the fish will begin to “forage” on the shark’s carcass. They pay the greatest attention to the parasite-rich legs and fins.
Oliver said that the sharks pose and lower their tails in order to be more appealing to cleaners.
He said that sharks without routine skin care could become infected and have other complications.
He said, “Our findings emphasize the importance to protect areas such as seamounts that play an important role in (the sharks) life strategy to preserve health and hygiene,”
Thresher Sharks can be found in tropical waters throughout Asia, North America, the North Pacific and are not considered a danger to humans.
They aren’t a timid marine animal. At 20 feet, they can be found feeding on bluefish, tuna, and mackerel schools.