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NEXT UP: our second battle tonight takes place under the sea in a coral reef in Fiji pitting the 4-seed Wrasse & Moray Eel against the 13-seed Fire Coral & Algae #2019MMM
Our home team, the Moray and Cleaner Wrasse have a special relationship where in the Cleaner Wrasse will zoom over the moray and remove parasites, and on occasion even entering the mouth of the eel to clean #2019MMM
Facing this toothsome twosome is the symbiotic powerhouse of Fire Coral and algae. Although not a true coral, the clonal fire coral does contain stinging cells it uses to capture plankton. A symbiotic relationship with algae provides fire coral an added food source #2019MMM
Because today is Taxonomy Day we should point out that true corals are in the class Anthozoa, while fire corals are in the class Hydrozoa #2019MMM
The clear waters of coral reefs help underscore why the Fire Coral needs algal help. Those waters are clear because they are free from plankton and therefore it's hard to make a living as a coral that feeds only on plankton #2019MMM
With the Cleaner Wrasse having food delivered to it, and the fire coral growing its own little sugar factories, one could say they're living a semi-charmed kind of life #2019MMM
The stinging cells of the fire coral have kept a vicious coral predator the crown of thorns sea-star at bay and thus provide an island of hope for coral associated species (bit.ly/2TSSa08) including the Cleaner Wrasse and Moray 2019MMM
The Cleaner Wrasse & Moray are doing well. With all these fish concentrated in a tiny Fire Coral island there's lots of prey for the Moray and lots of former prey for the Cleaner Wrasse to pick out of its teeth #2019MMM
The Moray has thin skin and as it lolls back to enjoy the cleaning, but in a moment (electric) relaxation its tail accidentally brushes up against the Fire Coral #2019MMM
The sunny water has fueled the algae in the Fire Coral and with the Fire Coral responds to the eel attack. The pain of a thousand suns explodes through the eels body and it jerks away #2019MMM
(for real, I've brushed against Fire Coral and it's NO JOKE) #2019MMM
Cleaner Wrasses often have a queue for their services and as the eel momentarily darts away a new opening comes up. Who should appear but a bumphead parrotfish - a coral eating specialist #2019MMM
Although excited to get cleaned the bumphead is not above a snack and bashes through the Fire Coral and algae, then gets cleaned. Meanwhile the eel opportunistically feeds on the small fish which had been hidden under the Fire Coral #2019MMM
The Fire Coral & algae face the crushing double jaws of the parrotfish, while the small damselfish that had been hiding in its intestacies are speared by the raptorial dual jaws of the eel (go.nature.com/2HueS7X). #2019MMM 
After the carnage the eel returns to the Cleaner Wrasse to get its Fire Coral wound cleaned (& to get that little piece of fish stuck on its fang), meanwhile the Cleaner Wrasse gets some sweet sweet eel mucus to top off that parasite meal (bit.ly/2FiTJKj) #2019MMM
WRASSE & MORAY EEL defeats FIRE CORAL & ALGAE #2019MMM
