Goby's Noisy Best Friend

Sheila Dhir

Goby and Snap lived deep down in the blue ocean.
They were best friends.
But they looked so different from each other!

Goby was a fish with seven fins and no legs. He had very powerful eyes.
Snap was a pistol shrimp with many legs. She had big, noisy claws. But she could not see very well.

CLICK, CLICK, CLICKETY CLACKET!
Oh oh, what a racket!
The noise from Snap’s claws scared away many animals in the ocean.

Snap’s eyes were weak, so she often got lost in the dark ocean.
CLICK, CLICK, CLICKETY CLACKET!
Oh oh, what a racket!
Don’t worry. Her best friend Goby was always nearby to take her home.

Snap shared her cosy burrow home with Goby. She clawed away any sand that fell into the burrow.
CLICK, CLICK, CLICKETY CLACKET! Oh oh, what a racket!
Their home was always clean and tidy.

One day, Goby went for a swim on his own.
“Ah, no more loud clickety-clacks,” he said. “Do I really need such a noisy best friend?” he wondered.

Suddenly, Goby spotted two bright eyes in front of him. It was a big, hungry, sea bass fish!
“Time for a goby fish sandwich,” said the sea bass. It swam closer.

Goby closed his eyes, shivering with fright.
CLICK, CLICK,
CLICKETY CLACKET!
Oh oh, what a racket!
“What is that terrible noise?” asked the sea bass.

It was Snap!
CLICK, CLICK, CLICKETY CLACKET!
Oh oh, what a racket!
It was too loud for the sea bass.
It swam far, far away.

PHEW! Goby hugged Snap.
What would he do without his noisy best friend!

Spot the Pairs
Friends stick together and are always ready to help each other. The goby fish and the pistol shrimp are famous best friends of the ocean. Can you spot other pairs of friends from this group of animals?
1. Cattle egret
2. Bees
3. Cow
4. Hermit Crab
5. Spotted Deer
6. Langur
7. Snail
8. Stork

Meet these friends
Storks and bees
The stork uses its sharp beak to cut up the dead animals it eats. Sometimes, bees come along and use the dead meat as a home for their eggs.
Cattle egrets and cows
When a cow walks in the field, bugs on the grass fly up in the air. Cattle egrets follow the cow and eat the bugs.

Hermit crabs and snails
Hermit crabs live in snail shells that the snails have left behind.
Spotted deer and langur monkeys
When spotted deer sense danger, they stamp their hooves to warn the langur monkeys. The langur monkeys scramble to safety high up in the tree tops! In turn, the langur monkeys drop leaves that are food for the spotted deer.