Super klipfish with skeleton shrimp in its mouth.
The skeleton shrimp in more detail.
Photos Geo Cloete
Geo Cloete encountered this unusual scenario: a super klipfish Clinus superciliosus with a skeleton shrimp Caprella sp. in its mouth. What is so unusual is that the klipfish is not busy eating the shrimp, but was seen just sitting there with the mouth open and the shrimp inside. Skeleton shrimp can be found on most reefs where they hold on by their hind legs and stand upright to catch food particles floating past. To ensure a good supply of water rushing past they are normally thus found on the tips of branches of hydroids or other exposed areas. They are also a good food source for klipfish, and from personal observation caught klipfish would often regurgitate such shrimp. Why this super klipfish is thus not enjoying a meal, but rather letting the shrimp just sit there is a mystery... The immediate thought is that of the shrimp playing a cleaner-shrimp role, but if this is the case, this is about the first time this has ever been seen! It does seem unlikely, given the shrimps status as food source for klipfish! Very bizarre indeed!
Coastal Fishes of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay, A Diver' Identification Guide, G. Zsilavecz, 2005
A field guide to the Marine Animals of the Cape Peninsula, G Jones, 2008
Two Oceans, A guide to the marine life of Southern Africa, GM Branch, CL Griffiths, ML Branch and LE Beckley, 1994.