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For animals in the wild, each day is a struggle to survive.One of the most visually surprising examples of symbiosis occurs between the fearsome African crocodile and the small plover bird.When a plover is nearby, a crocodile will open its long, sharp-toothed jaws to invite it inside.Perhaps even more amazingly, the crocodile, normally known for its aggression, does not snap its mouth shut and have the plover for a snack.This is true of the honeyguide bird and the ratel, a furry creature with short legs and long claws.On the other hand, the zebra has terrible eyesight, while the ostrich has excellent eyesight, enhanced by its long neck which enables the ostrich to see far into the distance.In doing so, it cleans the crocodile's teeth, which prevents it from getting infections.In some cases of symbiosis, like the crocodile and the plover, each animal in the pair benefits from their relationship in a different way.As its name suggests, the honeyguide has a special ability for locating beehives.Ratels are a perfect match for the honeyguide as they love honey, are large enough to crack open a hive, but have no ability to find hives themselves.The honeyguide flies over grasslands looking for a hive.After eating its fill, the ratel invites the honeyguide to finish the leftovers.Another two animals that team up to compensate for their own

weaknesses are the zebra and the ostrich.While the giant, flightless ostrich has poor senses of both smell and hearing, the zebra has acute senses of smell and hearing.Ostriches can see predators, such as lions, far in the distance, while zebras can smell or hear others as they approach.The plover picks out all the small pieces of meat stuck between the crocodile's teeth.

For animals in the wild, each day is a struggle to survive. They must continually search for food, while at the same time keeping themselves safe from predators. Some animals have learned that teaming up with another animal makes the struggle to find food, shelter, and safety a bit easier. This kind of special relationship in which animals depend upon and benefit from one another is called symbiosis.

One of the most visually surprising examples of symbiosis occurs between the fearsome African crocodile and the small plover bird. When a plover is nearby, a crocodile will open its long, sharp-toothed jaws to invite it inside. You might assume that the plover would quickly reject this invitation and fly off. Yet surprisingly, the plover does hop inside. Perhaps even more amazingly, the crocodile, normally known for its aggression, does not snap its mouth shut and have the plover for a snack. Instead, it remains still, not closing its mouth until the plover leaves. How can this strange behavior be explained? The answer is symbiosis. The plover picks out all the small pieces of meat stuck between the crocodile's teeth. In doing so, it cleans the crocodile's teeth, which prevents it from getting infections. Because the crocodile can not clean its own teeth, it depends on the plover to perform this service. In return, the crocodile provides an easy meal for the plover.

In some cases of symbiosis, like the crocodile and the plover, each animal in the pair benefits from their relationship in a different way. However, in other cases, the animals share a common goal. This is true of the honeyguide bird and the ratel, a furry creature with short legs and long claws. Both these animals live on grasslands in Africa and have an appetite for honey. As its name suggests, the honeyguide has a special ability for locating beehives. However, this small bird cannot open a beehive to get at the honey. To accomplish this, it teams up with the ratel. Ratels are a perfect match for the honeyguide as they love honey, are large enough to crack open a hive, but have no ability to find hives themselves. The honeyguide flies over grasslands looking for a hive. When it does spot a hive, it swoops down and makes a noise to alert the ratel. The ratel uses its claws to tear open the hive. After eating its fill, the ratel invites the honeyguide to finish the leftovers.

Another two animals that team up to compensate for their own

weaknesses are the zebra and the ostrich. These two animals often travel together. This is no surprise since they are a perfect match. While the giant, flightless ostrich has poor senses of both smell and hearing, the zebra has acute senses of smell and hearing. On the other hand, the zebra has terrible eyesight, while the ostrich has excellent eyesight, enhanced by its long neck which enables the ostrich to see far into the distance. In this way, each makes up for the other's deficiencies. As a result, the animals are far safer together than they would be apart. Ostriches can see predators, such as lions, far in the distance, while zebras can smell or hear others as they approach.

Birds and land animals aren't the only ones that work in symbiotic pairs. Some sea animals, like the clownfish and the sea anemone, do as well. Sea anemones, which look like plants, are actually dangerous animals with poisonous