Cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)

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Photo by Ole Johan Brett

Published on Project Noah

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Field Notes

Habitat:

tropical waters

Notes:

Indonesian Divemaster and cleaner shrimp. In situ.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (21)

dotun55

Really I wouldn't mind one of those in my mouth anytime my brush gets incompetent. This is the first human-animal relationship I've seen maybe on the entire web, and definitely a disturbing one at that. The first thought that popped in my head at the first glance at the image was, "whose mouth is this; horse or human?" :-)

KarenL

Ole, I've created a new mission for Symbiotic relationships & would appreciate it if you could add this spotting! http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/7987627

Ole Johan Brett

The divemasters just told me that the shrimps is still doing the same job 5 years after this picture.

HeatherMiller

I still prefer my toothbrush. :-)

Atul

wow underwater dental cleaning !!!!! really cool

FianaShapiro

weeiird. and neat.

Ole Johan Brett

The cleanershrimps do that on special cleaning stations and if they get used to divers it is the same for the shrimps if it is a human or a fish mouth. They were not forced to do this, it comes natural.

HeatherMiller

I wonder what kind of humorous, accidental discovery that must have been to realize the shrimp was flossing human teeth.

LarryGraziano

fantastic!

Carol Snow Milne

who is cleaning who. Makes a great dental floss. HA!

HeatherMiller

most people use fingers, not teeth, to point to a little critter - but this is definitely a "unique" way to present a living shrimp. :-)

windmustache

Hahaha I love this picture.

Ole Johan Brett

Yes Juan