Disir
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Rhinos are massive, gorgeous, creatures with very few natural predators. Despite this, these beauties are critically endangered and are tough to find outside of wildlife parks and reserves. This is mostly due to an increase in poaching. But according to a recent study, protection could come from an unlikely source: The small but mighty oxpecker.
Rhinos are nearly blind as a bat and tend to fly solo, which makes detecting an unfriendly hunter or defending themselves from one a tricky task. But a winged, vampire-like frenemy could be the difference between a rhino roaming scot-free and being surrounded by danger.
The relationship between rhinos and oxpeckers goes way back. In fact, the Swahili word for the bird is quite literally “the rhino’s guard.” In a seemingly mutualistic relationship, the oxpeckers ride around on the backs of rhinos, picking ticks off their backs and giving out a warning hiss when predators including humans ventured too close.
And here is the study and it looks like it's a bit more complicated than the article can explain.
Rhinos are nearly blind as a bat and tend to fly solo, which makes detecting an unfriendly hunter or defending themselves from one a tricky task. But a winged, vampire-like frenemy could be the difference between a rhino roaming scot-free and being surrounded by danger.
The relationship between rhinos and oxpeckers goes way back. In fact, the Swahili word for the bird is quite literally “the rhino’s guard.” In a seemingly mutualistic relationship, the oxpeckers ride around on the backs of rhinos, picking ticks off their backs and giving out a warning hiss when predators including humans ventured too close.
Rhinos pay a painful price for oxpecker protection
Rhinos are nearly blind as a bat and tend to fly solo, which makes detecting an unfriendly hunter or defending themselves from one a tricky task. But a winged, vampire-like frenemy could be the difference between a rhino roaming scot-free and being surrounded by danger.
www.popsci.com
And here is the study and it looks like it's a bit more complicated than the article can explain.