Remora

Remoras have evolved a modified dorsal fin into a powerful suction disc that attaches to sharks, rays, turtles, and whales. Once attached, they ride effortlessly while hosts provide transportation, protection from predators, and feeding opportunities - remoras eat scraps from host meals and sometimes host parasites. The relationship is typically classified as commensalism (one benefits, other unaffected) rather than mutualism, though this classification remains debated.

The debate centers on whether remoras provide sufficient parasite removal to benefit hosts. Some research suggests they do; other studies find remoras prefer food scraps over parasites. Unlike cleaner wrasse, which operate dedicated cleaning stations with clear service delivery, remoras are primarily hitchhikers who may incidentally provide cleaning. Their attachment can create drag, potentially costing hosts energy. The relationship may be tolerated rather than valued.

This ambiguous service relationship offers business insight into relationships that appear mutualistic but may be parasitic or merely tolerated. Not every partnership that looks like mutual benefit actually is. Some business relationships persist because termination costs exceed nuisance costs - the partner is tolerated rather than valued. Remoras teach strategists to distinguish between genuine mutualism (cleaner wrasse), conditional mutualism (oxpecker), and mere tolerance (remora). The question isn't whether the relationship exists but whether it would be actively rebuilt if disrupted.