La Jolla Canyon was sleepy for the Privateer trip this afternoon, until our deckhand Brandon spotted a giant ocean sunfish right off the bow! With a slow pass under the boat guests got to see this giant up close and personal, even noticing a parasite attached near their eye. This opened up a great discussion about relationships between animals out here in the ocean. Parasitic (meaning one animal benefits) vs symbiotic (both animals benefit) relationships exist in a wide variety of sea creatures. For the ocean sunfish to survive heavy parasite burden they rely on amazing symbiotic relationships with seabirds and smaller cleaner fish when they float at the surface and allow them to eat the parasites and clean their bodies!
Naturalist Sandy
