Researchers attached suction-cup cameras to humpback whales off Australia’s east coast to capture remoras from the fish’s perspective. The footage shows remoras clinging to whales to save energy, avoid predators and scavenge food. Scientists recorded about 15–20 remoras on some whales and up to 50 in extreme cases; while remoras can remove sea lice, whales sometimes try to dislodge them. The study aims to clarify whether remoras travel with whales throughout migrations and to fill gaps in the remora lifecycle.
POV: What a Remora Sees Hitching a Ride on a Humpback Whale
Researchers attached suction-cup cameras to humpback whales off Australia’s east coast to capture remoras from the fish’s perspective. The footage shows remoras clinging to whales to save energy, avoid predators and scavenge food. Scientists recorded about 15–20 remoras on some whales and up to 50 in extreme cases; while remoras can remove sea lice, whales sometimes try to dislodge them. The study aims to clarify whether remoras travel with whales throughout migrations and to fill gaps in the remora lifecycle.
15:16, 08.11.2025Science
Remoras up close: a first-person view from humpback whales
Remoras, commonly called suckerfish, have evolved a unique survival strategy: a flattened suction disc on the top of their heads that lets them cling to larger animals and even boats. While they are capable swimmers, remoras often attach to passing fish, whales, or vessels to conserve energy, avoid predators and scavenge food — a relationship that is functionally different from true parasitism.
To study this behavior, marine biologists from Griffith University deployed small, non-invasive suction-cup cameras on humpback whales along Australia’s east coast. The cameras provided rare first-person footage of remoras as they rode on the whales, moved around their hosts and fed on hitchhiking organisms.
“Remoras are harmless and are not a parasite to the whales; in fact, they can benefit the whale by removing sea lice and other crustaceans wanting to settle on the whale’s body,”
— Dr. Olaf Meynecke, Griffith University marine scientist and co-leader of the Whales and Climate Research Program.
Remoras will take advantage of any available surface on a host and are unconcerned about crowding. Researchers observed roughly 15–20 remoras on individuals that appeared to be shedding more skin, and in some cases recorded as many as 50 remoras on a single whale. Those observations suggest a possible link between skin condition and remora aggregation, though more data is needed.
Although remoras likely provide benefits by eating sea lice and other small organisms, whales sometimes react visibly to their presence — eyeing the fish, performing multiple breaches, then checking the affected areas again. The footage gives scientists a valuable look at these interactions in situ and may help answer whether remoras accompany individual whales throughout long migrations.
The team hopes continued analysis will clarify the remoras’ lifecycle and the extent to which their movements are tied to whale migrations. For now, the footage offers one of the clearest windows yet into the odd, semi-symbiotic lives of these hitchhiking fish.