biology

Marlin sucker

Marlin sucker is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Marlin sucker rather than just read about it. In short: The marlin sucker or spear-fish remora (Remora osteochir) is a species of remora found all over the world in tropical and temperate seas. It can reach up to 40 cm (16 in) in standard length.

Key takeaways

Marlin sucker belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Marlin sucker to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Marlin sucker from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The marlin sucker or spear-fish remora (Remora osteochir) is a species of remora found all over the world in tropical and temperate seas. It can reach up to 40 cm (16 in) in standard length. It normally lives attached to a larger fish; its host preference is for marlins (as the name implies) and sailfishes, but it will attach to other large fish.

Description Compared to other species of remora, Remora osteochir is sturdy with a small mouth, stiff, rounded pectoral fins and wide-base pelvic fins. It can grow to a maximum length of about 40 cm (16 in). As is the case with other remoras, the front dorsal fin has been replaced by a suction disc, the length of which is 37 to 49% of the standard length of the fish. The disc has 15 to 19 laminae. Both the dorsal and anal fins are relatively short; the dorsal fin has 20 to 26 soft rays, the anal fin has 20 to 25 and the pectoral fins have 20 to 24 soft rays. The dorsal colouring is dark grey to black and the ventral surface is rather paler. Apart from the tips of the outer rays of the caudal fin, which are grey, the fins are black in adults, but transparent or pale grey in juveniles.

Distribution R. osteochir is found in warm temperate and subtropical seas around the world, between about 42°N and 45°S. Its depth range is down to about 200 m (660 ft), but in reality, it goes where its host takes it.

Ecology This species is normally found attached by its disc to the surface of a marlin or sailfish, but sometimes it attaches to another large fish. It attaches to the body or gill chamber, and a pair of the remoras is often present on one host fish. There is often a male fish under one operculum and a female under the other. The laminae, out of which the disc is formed, are covered with bristles which lie flat, and these provide the suction grip. The remora can detach from its host by moving forwards and reattach by moving backwards. Remoras do not harm their host but may feed on any ectoparasites, flakes of skin and stray food particles that come their way as well as consuming the fish faeces. Parasitic copepods form an important part of this remora's diet.

References

External links

Photograph

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Marlin sucker

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Marlin sucker claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Marlin sucker before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Marlin sucker ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Marlin sucker

In research: Marlin sucker appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Marlin sucker in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Marlin sucker is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cosmopolitan fish, Fish described in 1829, IUCN Red List least concern species, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Marlin sucker outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Marlin sucker” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Marlin sucker in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Marlin sucker means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Marlin sucker out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Marlin sucker in simple terms?

The marlin sucker or spear-fish remora (Remora osteochir) is a species of remora found all over the world in tropical and temperate seas. It can reach up to 40 cm (16 in) in standard length.

Why does Marlin sucker matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Marlin sucker?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Marlin sucker.