There are a lot of fun relationships between species in the underwater animal world, from hermit crabs using anemones as hats, to the complex system that exists between coral and algae. Sometimes, though, it’s a little bit simpler, as this chilled video of a crab hitchhiking reveals.
Underwater videographer and photographer Zoe Slack, who goes by zoegetswet on Instagram, shared a remarkable video of a little crab, hitching a ride on the back of a mosaic jellyfish, which she filmed in the waters around Koh Tao in Thailand.
There are many different types of symbiotic relationships between species in nature. In mutualism both parties benefit from the arrangement; in parasitism, one species is usually harmed for the benefit of another species. This arrangement with the crab and the jellyfish is known as commensalism, where one party benefits and it neither harms nor helps the other party involved.
This goes one step further when we talk about animals hitching along – it’s a type of commensalism known as phoresy, and it’s specific to smaller animals catching a ride on a bigger animal at no cost to the larger party.
Phoresy can even help widen the gene pool of creatures that would otherwise be stuck in one place, transporting them into different populations of individuals.
It’s no secret that jellyfish are pretty weird creatures. They lack brains, hearts, teeth, and blood and are around 95 percent made up of water. Some species have a network of nerves that can help them process things like water temperature and chemical changes. While some jellyfish can move themselves through the water, most are not powerful swimmers and are mostly carried on tides and currents. It just so happens that this mosaic jellyfish has ended up being the unofficial Uber of the ocean for this little crab.
If you think a crab riding a jellyfish is impressive, check out this octopus riding a shark.
Source Link: Watch An Adorable Little Crab Hitch A Ride On A Mosaic Jellyfish Through The Gulf Of Thailand
