Nature is full of surprises, but nothing is more mind-blowing than how some animals form life-saving partnerships to thrive together. This is called mutualism, and it's often anything but ordinary.
In the open plains of the Namib in Southwest Africa, an unlikely alliance forms. Shy, reclusive ostriches hesitantly seek the support of antelope and zebra to remain safe from carnivores.
Cooperation between ostriches and herbivores was observed even by Darwin in the 1800s, which he chronicled inOn African plains, such alliances between birds and mammals are abundant. Oxpeckers offer great grooming services in return for a nutritious diet of fleas and dead skin from herbivores. Paradise flycatchers fervently follow kudu and bushbuck, feeding on mosquitoes and other flying insects that mill around the antelope.
However, there is debate about this interaction. If it does occur, it’s increasingly rare, given that the dry woodland habitats of badgers, birds and bees are declining fast, according to a June 2023The honey hunters themselves interact with honeyguide birds the same way, following their chirps to the hives.
These plants reflect their echoes to “call” the bats, in hopes of capturing their feces. The pitchers are able to trap and digest insects, but they’re still deprived of nitrogen, as the soils they grow in tend to be deficient. Bat poop offers exactly this through a missing ingredient—digested spiders.
Quagga Ostrich Irrawaddy Dolphin Hardwicke’S Woolly Bat Carnivorous Pitcher Plant Mutualism In Animals Mutually Benefiting Animals Nature Partnerships Brilliant Partnerships Between Animals
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