The animal world has many interesting creatures and fascinating adaptations and survival techniques used by inhabitants. Others survive because of some interesting partnerships between these creatures called 'symbiosis' (means 'living together'). These are some of the examples of the animal partnerships:
1. The Symbiotic Relationship Between Gobies And Pistol Shrimp
[caption id="attachment_345" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Image credit: Sven/ Flickr[/caption]In the goby and pistol shrimp symbiosis, both animals benefit. The fish offers the shrimp protection from predators and the shrimp builds and maintains a burrow that both animals live in. Pistol shrimps are named for startling jet of water and the loud sound that makes with a rapid opening and closing of the claw. That is a behavior typical of scaring and confusing predators. However, they live in the areas with little to no cover from predators. As goby has relatively poor eyesight – in some cases almost blind, requires pistol shrimp to solicit the help of certain gobies.
In exchange for a shelter the Goby keeps an eye on the shrimp whenever the shrimp needs to dump gravel outside the burrow. He keeps watching and chases off predators.
2. Coyote-Badger Partnership
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Image credit: Susan Crick Smith /Flickr[/caption]As the most of the wild dogs lead solitary lives, they rarely hunt in packs. And the desert vegetation can make it challenging to stalk prey without being spotted. When coyotes and badgers make a team, they chase small animals that hide underground like the ground squirrels prairie dogs. The badger's unrivaled ability as a digger and the coyote's keen sense of smell are viewed as ready-made for the partnership.
The badger will use its digging prowess to burrow, and the coyote will use its speed to trap small mammals in dens and scare prey towards the waiting partner. If the prey is below ground, the badger takes over the hunt, and if it is above the surface the coyote hunts the animal.
3.Partnership Between Monkeys And Wolves
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Image credit: Tambako The Jaguar/ Flickr[/caption]Gelada monkeys walk in very large numbers. But in nature the wolves are very rare due to their almost extinct species. The survival of the wolves may rest on the strange pact that is made with the monkeys. The wolves feed on small mammals, particularly rodents. While a fully grown gelada is a very big meal for the wolves, a baby monkey is the perfect size. But when a wolf walks into a monkey herd, the monkeys remain calm. When monkeys went to the cave to sleep in a cove they would push out the easy prey, the small rodents.
The wolves being around the monkeys and not touching their hosts babies gain a benefit to feed on pushed out rodents. As the rodents are competitors for monkeys’ food sources, monkeys also profit.
4.Crocodile And A Plover Bird
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Image credit: Marc Eschenlohr/Flickr[/caption]In Africa the strange relation occurs when a plover bird cleans crocodiles’ teeth. In that relationship both animals and the bird have something to win; the crocodile gets cleaner mouth to keep surviving and hunting and the bird between the crocodile’s teeth finds food. The plover bird flies inside the mouth of a crocodile and that would be a death sentence to some other bird. By eating the meat from between the crocodile’s teeth, the plover bird is getting a meal of its own. The crocodile is also benefitting from this. Because it cannot get out the rest of the food that got stuck in its mouth, which may lead to an infection, the plover birds just clean crocodiles’ teeth.
So when a crocodile needs a dentist, it will open mouth and wait for help.
5. Giraffes And Tick Birds
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Image credit: Lenny Flank/ Flickr[/caption]The habitat where these creatures live is a dirty place. Giraffe has a long neck and cannot clean itself especially on its neck. That’s why big animals like the giraffes rely on the tick birds to clean ticks off their body. These small birds ride on the giraffe's back and eat gains food by eating these insects. The giraffe uses these birds as an early warning signal of a danger, alerting giraffes to any approaching predators with a loud sound. This relationship may seem good for both as the thick bird benefits by getting its meal and the giraffe by ridding it of parasites.
But the thick bird is besides eating ticks known to pick on wounds and sores, so on the giraffe comes even more parasites.
6. Anemone And The Clownish
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Image credit: Matthew/Flickr[/caption]With its bright colors the clownish attracts other fish into anemones tentacles. When prey comes the polyp kills with its poison and then eats. The clownish also provides the feces that is used as fertilizer to the sea anemone. The clownish also chases away predators that would eat anemone. To protect it from the poisonous nemocysts that anemones fire from their tentacles, they create mucus. When a clownish comes to a new anemone, it takes many days for its protective mucus to build up.
The clownish keeps the environment around the polyp clean by eating up the dead tentacles of the sea anemone. When the anemone eats its meal, the clownish will eat the remains of what anemone left.
7. Ants And Large Blue Butterfly
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Image credit: John Tann/ Flickr[/caption]This very unique relationship happens between the species of the red ants and a large blue butterfly. Most caterpillars live on their host plant and eat leaves, flowers and seeds. They also have specialized glands that make a sweet liquid. In nature the caterpillar would be an easy meal to a herd of ants. But this caterpillars releases off a pheromone because of what the ants let her in their house and to eat their food. In exchange, the ants look after the caterpillar.
They behave like they have a cow that they protect. When the night comes the ants go into the grass where the caterpillars feed. In the morning the ants lead the caterpillars back down in their nest to rest.
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