Cleaning station

A ray holds a stationary position over a cleaning station for several minutes while it is being cleaned.

As cleaning stations or cleaning stations are called places that marine life visit in order to be cleaned by smaller creatures. Such stations exist in both fresh and salt water environments; they are used by animals such as fish , sea ​​turtles and hippos .

During the cleaning process u. a. Parasites removed from the cleaning guest's body; the cleaning process itself is carried out by various small animals, including so-called cleaning shrimp and different types of cleaner fish, such as cleaner fish and gobies .

When approaching the cleaning station, animals indicate, for example by their positioning, that they want cleaning. The cleaner fish then eat the parasites from the body of the cleaning guest, where they also penetrate into the mouth and between the gills. This is a form of cleaning symbiosis .

Cleaning stations are popular destinations for diving trips; this is now viewed critically, as some fish species can feel disturbed by the presence of divers.

Some fish, including the reddish mullet known as doctor fish , are now used as cleaner fish for medical and cosmetic purposes in humans.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Tomas Hroch: Mzima Springs - Haunt of the hippo . Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
2. ↑ http://www.wisegeek.com/in-a-reef-what-is-a-cleaning-station.htm
3. ↑ Diving tourism: Man disturbs life on coral reefs. In: Spiegel Online . March 26, 2015, accessed June 10, 2018 .