Fish Trapped Inside — or Controlling — A Jellyfish?

Tim Samuel, an Australian photographer, took a rarely seen photo of a fish swimming inside a jellyfish. At first sight, it seems that the fish is trapped inside the jellyfish. National Geographic asked a couple of experts to comment on this phenomenon and they theorized that many types of animals associate with jellies, with the jellies providing some kind of ecosystem services that benefits the fish.

So, it looks like this could be just a “normal” day for this fish to use a jellyfish for locomotion (and perhaps also for protection and feeding). In fact, another photographer, Brent Collins, sent in a video (scroll down to view) that seems to show just such a behavior.

This is a never before seen photo of the 'Fish Trapped in a Jellyfish'. What do you think?

A photo posted by Tim Samuel (@timsamuelphotography) on Jun 19, 2016 at 2:27am PDT

I'm loving hearing where you are all from and where you saw this posted, keep it up, it's putting a big smile on my face It is crazy how much attention this little guy is getting. When @franny.plumridge and I stumbled upon it we knew we had found something special, but had no idea just how unique and rare this sighting was. I'm completely blown away by all the attention it is getting from all over the world.

A photo posted by Tim Samuel (@timsamuelphotography) on Jun 7, 2016 at 1:13am PDT

T R A P P E D – Woke up this morning to my phone going crazy due to one my photos being reposted by @discoverocean. Here's another photo from that day. I found this fish trapped inside a Jellyfish while freediving in Byron Bay. He was trapped in there but controlled where the Jellyfish was moving. Prints are available through my website – link in bio

A photo posted by Tim Samuel (@timsamuelphotography) on Jun 3, 2016 at 4:34pm PDT

Another photographer, Brent Collins, has a video that shows such a fish “exit the Jellyfish, swim back inside the Jellyfish, and apparently steer the Jellyfish at will.”

@franny.plumridge and I were starting to think we were the only ones to witness anything like my Fish Trapped in a Jellyfish photo. That was until this afternoon when I received a very exciting email "I too have witnessed this rare phenomenon. I captured it on video while snorkeling at Double Reef beach in Guam in 2013. Over the course of several minutes I watched the fish exit the Jellyfish, swim back inside the Jellyfish, and apparently steer the Jellyfish at will, and repeat. I researched the unusual behavior when I first encountered it, however could not find anything on the internet to explain the behavior. Perhaps others will communicate their experiences and a collaborative understanding of this behavior will immerge" – words and video from Brent Collins

A video posted by Tim Samuel (@timsamuelphotography) on Jun 8, 2016 at 12:24pm PDT