Cover Image: June 2007 Scientific American Magazine See Inside

Fish That Go Skin-Deep [Preview]

Trapped fish adapt to a life of nibbling on humans















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Kangal, Turkey--Tucked between brown hills in central Turkey is a natural hot spring where, for a fee, you can become fish food. Dip in a hand or foot, and within seconds small fish will swarm, bump and nibble it. Stand above the pools, and the fish will gather below, waiting. The scaly swimmers--the "Doctor Fish of Kangal"--supposedly have curative powers. But in this unusual case of adaptive ecology, the human visitors may be helping the fish more than themselves.


This article was originally published with the title Fish That Go Skin-Deep.



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ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

Matt Mossman is based in Istanbul.


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