Remora
Echeneidae
The ocean's hitchhiker carries its own suction cup.
Remoras ride sharks, rays, turtles, whales, and even boats using a gripping disk on the head. The SeaPals card represents a family of eight specialized hitchhiking species.
Find this SeaPal in the card gallery
From field guide to game table
Bring this Remora home
See which ready-to-play decks feature this SeaPal. Try one in the simulator before you buy, or explore each full deck list.
- 2 copies
Ready-to-play deck
Open Ocean Deck
Includes 2 cards featuring Remora.
Quick dive
Creature passport
- Home
- Most remoras travel through warm open oceans wherever large hosts roam.
- Favorite foods
- They eat plankton, scraps, small animals, and sometimes parasites from a host.
- Size check
- About 1-3 ft (30-90 cm)—ruler to baseball-bat length
Tell-your-friends facts
Four wonderfully wild things
- 1
The suction disk began as the same kind of fin found on other fishes' backs.
- 2
A remora can slide backward to release its grip and swim away.
- 3
The free ride saves energy and carries the fish toward fresh feeding opportunities.
- 4
Different remora species favor hosts such as sharks, billfish, mantas, or whales.
Ocean superpower
Built to be amazing
A modified dorsal fin forms a ridged disk that grips without biting.
Junior scientist tip
What should I look for?
Look for a flat, striped oval disk on top of the head.
Grown-up research links
We used trusted science organizations to check this profile.