Annoyed puffer fish can't shake off determined cleaner wrasse

Wrasses are small fish that enjoy a symbiotic relationship with many larger fish and animals in the ocean. They hide among the rocks and coral, waiting for the signal from predators to go to work. When the predators suspend themselves pointing upwards and hold their mouths open, the wrasses will dart into the mouth cavities and pick at meat and food lodged between the teeth.

Cleaner fish pick at parasites and loose skin on their hosts as well. They even clean the gill areas of food particles and pests. Usually, the larger hosts are happy with this arrangement and they welcome the wrasses, but this black spotted puffer fish is not in the mood for grooming. He shakes and spins in an obvious effort to discourage the wrasse. This pair were spotted in the waters around Komodo Island in Indonesia.

Puffer fish have large gill holes that cannot be closed. The wrasse knows this and he darts in upside down to get at something edible. Incredibly, the wrasse is almost half inside the gill of the puffer fish.