What fish has a flat suction disc on its head for attaching to larger animals? The remora has that distinctive disc.
Remoras are marine fish in the family Echeneidae, also known as suckerfish or sharksuckers. Their first dorsal fin has been transformed into a flattened, oval attachment disc lined with movable slat-like structures. By sliding backward, a remora increases the grip; by swimming forward, it can release itself.
The disc allows remoras to attach to sharks, rays, sea turtles, whales, dolphins and other large animals. The relationship is usually described as commensal: the remora gains transport, protection and access to scraps of food, while the larger host is generally thought to receive little benefit or harm. Remoras can also swim independently and sometimes attach to boats or divers.
The disc is not a separate sucker copied from an invertebrate. It is a modified dorsal fin, which makes the remora’s anatomy especially unusual. Grouper, wrasse and mullet may associate with larger marine animals, but they do not have the remora’s specialized attachment organ.