Characteristics and Behavior:
Pilot fish are slender, elongated fish with a distinctive silver to dark blue coloration. They have a series of 5 to 7 vertical black bars on their body. These fish are known for their cooperative behavior and often swim alongside larger marine creatures, such as sharks, rays, and sea turtles. They have a specialized, sucker-like fin on their belly, which allows them to attach to their hosts for protection and access to food scraps.
Habitat:
- Pilot fish inhabit warm, tropical and subtropical oceanic waters worldwide.
- They are typically found in the open ocean, often associating with larger pelagic animals, including sharks and other large predatory species.
Lifecycle:
- The average lifespan of Pilot fish is approximately 3 to 5 years.
- Reproduction involves pelagic (open water) spawning, where females release eggs that hatch into larvae. Young Pilot fish develop and join larger marine animals for protection.
Fun Facts:
- Marine Hitchhikers: Pilot fish are known for their symbiotic relationship with larger marine creatures. They often swim alongside their hosts, providing cleaning services by removing parasites and dead skin from their hosts.
- Highly Agile: These fish are agile swimmers and use their host's movements to their advantage, feeding on scraps of prey caught by the host.
- Schooling Behavior: Pilot fish often form schools or groups, further enhancing their protective and feeding capabilities when attached to larger animals.
Yarrell, William (1841). A History of British Fishes (2nd. ed.). John van Voorst. p. 170. The pilot-fish has been so often seen, and occasionally taken on our southern coast, as to be entitled to a place among British Fishes[.]
Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2019). "Naucrates ductor" in FishBase. August 2019 version.
