The phrase ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’ is perhaps the most accurate way to describe the sabre-toothed blenny (or false cleanerfish), a 10cm-long, meek-looking fish that turns into a voracious vampire whenever it comes within biting distance of its prey.
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In order to gain the trust of the larger fish it feeds on, sabre-toothed blennies mimic the patterning and swimming behaviour of cleaner wrasses - industrious fishes that serve as the beauticians of many coral reefs, removing external parasites, mucus, and dead skin cells from the bodies of other fish.
After getting the go-ahead to ‘clean’, a sabre-toothed blenny will drop its act and use its large canines to tear chunks of flesh off its unsuspecting client. To add insult to injury, these fish inject their prey with a form of opium to dull the pain and ensure they can continue stealing morsels of meat.
