Cleaner shrimp facts for kids

A Pacific cleaner shrimp, Lysmata amboinensis, cleans the mouth of a moray eel.

Cleaner shrimp are amazing little sea creatures. They are a type of decapod crustacean, which means they are related to crabs and lobsters. They get their name because they help clean other ocean animals, like fish, by removing tiny parasites from them.

This special relationship is called "cleaning symbiosis". It's like a win-win situation! The fish get rid of annoying parasites, and the shrimp get a tasty meal from those parasites. Because of this helpful behavior, cleaner shrimp are often kept in saltwater aquariums.

How Cleaner Shrimp Behave

Urocaridella antonbruunii

Cleaner shrimp are known for their "cleaning symbiosis." This means different species work together and both benefit. The fish get clean, and the shrimp get food.

On many coral reefs, cleaner shrimp gather at special spots called "cleaning stations." These are like car washes for fish! At these stations, cleaner shrimp act much like cleaner fish, such as cleaner wrasse. Sometimes, shrimp and fish even work together to clean bigger client fish.

Some types of cleaner shrimp live in caves on the reef. They don't always hang out with other animals. Instead, they set up their own cleaning stations. Up to 25 shrimp might live close together at one of these spots.

When a fish that needs cleaning swims near a station, several shrimp start doing a "rocking dance." This is a side-to-side movement they do to get the fish's attention. The hungrier the shrimp are, the more they rock! This shows that even shrimp can compete for food.

Cleaner Shrimp in Pop Culture

A French-accented cleaner shrimp named Jacques appears in the popular 2003 movie Finding Nemo. Jacques, voiced by Joe Ranft, helps keep the fish tank clean for all the characters living there.

Images for kids

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  Ancylomenes magnificus, provides a manicure for a diver.

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  Wipe Coral Shrimp