Symbiotic Holiday Symbols

Have you ever seen a rhino in a yoga class? Odds are you haven’t. This is not because the animal doesn’t enjoy a healthy lifestyle, it’s simply because they’re huge and not all that flexible. Limited flexibility does little to help rhinos remove unwanted fleas and ticks.

Enter the red-billed oxpecker. Oxpeckers are often spotted happily perched on a rhino’s back. Here, they actively eat ticks, flies, fleas and lice from their host’s hide. The oxpeckers gain comfort in the parasites they feed upon, and in return, the rhino enjoys a much needed cleansing.

Warthogs are some fierce Tanzanian fighters. They’re extremely sturdy with solid bodies. They also have razor-sharp tusks. These tough beasts, if they wanted to, could easily crush an entire pack of mongooses.

Nonetheless, warthogs become regular softies when they happen upon a pack of mongooses. In fact, they tend to take a break and lay down. Similar to the relationship between rhinos and oxpeckers, the mongooses feast on the ticks and fleas found on a warthog’s body. In exchange for a tasty meal, the warthog gets a bath.