SPECIES THAT CLEAN
Keeping the underwater world clean and healthy is a full-time job for some species. Of course, a balanced ecosystem involves the participation of every life form, but there is also a whole host of creatures that have specific roles – cleaning other animals, filtering the water, and keeping some other species in check.
Scientists have revealed the importance of some of these cleaning species – according to a study published in the journal Current Biology, individual rabbitfish, for example, visit cleaners every five minutes in some places! Sadly, these vital underwater inhabitants are often the first to disappear when the environment becomes too polluted.
Meet the underwater “clean
