Animals sometimes form deep and lasting partnerships. This may perhaps be fairly normal if they were of the same kind. Perhaps the most unusual friendship is that between the crocodile and the plover. The little bird is permitted to pick bits of food from the razor-sharp teeth of the crocodile without fear of being swallowed. In return for this free meal, the bird chirps a warning if danger approaches. The crocodile ends up with clean teeth and the plover, a full stomach.
Anyone who has been on a safari in Africa will remember the tick bird perched on the fearsome rhinoceros. The bird rids the rhinoceros of ticks and other insects. In return, it has a constant supply of food.
In India, a certain kind of crab carries a couple of stinging anemones around its claws to protect it. This is rather a curious sight. The anemone looks like a flower but it is really a poisonous animal. However, in this strange friendship it is not certain what the anemone benefits from the relationship. It looks like a one-sided relationship. Similarly, no one also knows what advantage the rattler or the armadillo gains by living together but they are often found sharing the same underground home. Another ‘deep’ friendship is that between the giant clams of the Australian coast and some tiny algae. The algae is offered comfortable accommodation in return for a service. The clams would not be so large but for the oxygen provided by their guests, the algae.
The three-toed sloth spends most of its lazy life hanging from the branches of a tree. It is so slow moving that its life would be in great danger from other animals. However, it is on the sloth’s fur and provides excellent camouflage because they are almost the same shade as the plants on which the sloth lives. In return, the sloth furnishes the algae with a good home.
These are just a few of the strange partnerships that occur in nature. For most of them the benefits are mutual but in some cases the reasons for the relationships are not so obvious.
