Better Together

Journey into the amazing underwater world of coral reefs and meet the bluestreak cleaner fish - the reef's super-smart helper!

Showcasing research led by Prof. Redouan Bshary at the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, this children's book explores the topic of cooperation - or 'helping' - by taking a deep dive into the cleaning mutualism between bluestreak cleaner fish and their fish clients.

Cleaner fish provide a very important service on coral reefs by removing blood-sucking parasites from by visiting fish clients. While this partnership might seem ideal, cleaner fish also cheat and manipulate their clients, yet know when to reconcile. Research on this tiny fish has revealed many incredible behaviours relevant to human behaviour and has shown us that even in the animal world, working together can be complicated, just like in our own lives!

Funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, this children's book is part of an AGORA science communication outreach project, which aims to bridge the gap between scientific research and the public.