Sorry Timon, mongeese are a warthog’s best friend.Well this looks like a grisly scene, doesn&a
Sorry Timon, mongeese are a warthog’s best friend.Well this looks like a grisly scene, doesn’t it? Mongeese are known for their bloodthirsty nature, regularly feasting on insects, lizards, birds, rodents, even snakes in certain Indian species. Have they grown a bit overconfident and tried to take on a warthog? And won?!No, that isn’t what’s happening here. In actual fact, Ugandan warthogs have enlisted these accommodating mongeese as their own personal groomers. When parasitic ticks are proving particularly bothersome, the warthogs will actively seek out a band of mongeese, plop down in front of them with legs held high, and allow them to climb aboard and help themselves to a meal. You can see it in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXW_1i1pA0wThe mongoose-warthog relationship is a type of symbiotic mutualism - where two cohabiting animal species both benefit from each other’s presence. Similar cleaning partnerships are commonly seen between birds and large herbivores, and cleaner wrasse and large fish. This, however, seems to be the first instance of a partnership between two separate mammalian species. It does make you wonder how many other animal relationships exist beneath our notice…(In case you were wondering, the official plural form of ‘mongoose’ is ‘mongooses’, though ‘mongeese’ is acceptable too).VPReference: Suiform Surroundings - page 31 (http://bit.ly/22j31yb)Image credit: Andrew Plumptre (http://bit.ly/22j31yb) -- source link
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