A diver has shared the remarkable sight of two fish hiding inside the bell of a jellyfish. Underwater photographer Pedro Valencia captured the footage while blackwater diving in Cozumel, Mexico.
Blackwater diving is when scuba divers visit the open ocean at night, with deep water below, and use torches to see what creatures migrate up from the depths for a midnight snack.
On this dive, Valencia came across a surprising trio: two fish swimming along inside a jellyfish’s bell.
“It might seem like a bad setup for roommates, but in the vast ocean, some fish find refuge inside and around jellyfish – nestling within the bell or navigating among the tentacles,” says jellyfish scientist Scott Morrissey who re-shared the video on Instagram.
“This unusual arrangement offers the fish protection from predators, potential access to food, while the fish may serve as ‘bait’ for the jellyfish.”
Valencia filmed the amazing interaction off the Mexican island of Cozumel in the Caribbean Sea. Credit: Pedro Valencia
Image and video credit: Pedro Valencia
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