The Sharksucker’s suckers

By Bora Zivkovic | February 5, 2013 | 1

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Image of the Week #78, February 5th, 2013:

From: How the sharksucker got its suction disc by Becky Crew at Running Ponies.

Source: Dave Johnson

The unassuming remora, commonly known as the sharksucker, was given credit for almost 2000 years for slowing down ships because of the strength of its grip. This myth was ultimately abandonned but the origins of its suction apparatus still fascinated scientists. Becky Crew recounts the myths and the answer to the suction disc mystery in her post, How the sharksucker got its suction disc.

About the Author: Bora Zivkovic is the Blog Editor at Scientific American, chronobiologist, biology teacher, organizer of ScienceOnline conferences and editor of Open Laboratory anthologies of best science writing on the Web. Follow on Twitter @boraz.

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The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

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1 Comment

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1. Quinn the Eskimo 3:09 am 02/9/2013

The source of the giant sucker is easy! Originally, the sharksucker species worked at the IRS.

See? Easy!
Link to this

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