1
2
A newly-hatched baby cuckoo is in the nest of a warbler bird.
A mother cuckoo bird laid her egg in the warbler's nest, which
also contained a warbler egg. The warbler egg has a longer
incubation time than the cuckoo egg, so the baby cuckoo will
hatch first. After hatching, the cuckoo will instinctively push
the warbler egg out of the nest. The egg will smash on the
ground, preventing the baby warbler from hatching and
competing for precious food. Mama warbler thinks the cuckoo
is her baby and tends it faithfully while mama cuckoo is out
seeing the town.
Ostrich feet are large and are often used as weapons,
particularly by the male who guards the nest. The kick, which
has been known to disembowel a lion, is more powerful than
a kick from a horse. Ostriches, zebras, gazelles, and other herd
animals group together in a symbiotic relationship. With eyes
that are two inches in diameter, the ostrich has excellent
eyesight. The hoofed animals have poor eyesight in
comparison, but have a keen sense of smell. Together, these
animals have a very useful combination of senses for early
detection of predators.
3
The Egyptian plover is a type of bird that will eat parasites and
bits of meat from the skin and teeth of the Nile crocodile. The
bird can often be seen riding on top of the head of a croc,
until the crocodile swims ashore and opens its mouth. The
bird then pecks at the teeth and skin, devouring its meal. The
crocodiles rarely eat these “dentist” birds because they enjoy
that just-brushed, fresh feeling.
4
Aphids secrete a sugary substance called honeydew that the
ants love. The ants protect the aphids from predator insects
and move them from plant to plant, milking them for their
sweet secretions. Some honey ants even go so far as to
destroy the eggs of known aphid predators like ladybug
beetles.
5
6
Commonly called "air plants", epiphytic plants do not have
roots, but instead live on other plants. In Florida, Spanish
moss (an epiphyte) drapes over the branches of oaks and
cypress trees. The moss gets needed sunlight that would not
be received if it were rooted in the ground. Being higher up, it
also stays out of the reach of most herbivores. The cypress
trees and oaks don’t seem to mind the company.
Remoras are small fish that usually average between one and
three feet in length. Their front dorsal fins have evolved over
time into an organ that acts like a suction cup on the top of
their bodies. This organ is used to attach the fish to a passing
shark, usually on the shark’s belly or underside. (They have
also been known to attach to whales, manta rays, and the
occasional diver.) When the shark feeds, the remora picks up
scraps. The remora also feeds on parasites living on the
shark’s skin, keeping it nice and clean.
7
8
The honey badger, or ratel, is generally a solitary animal but it
has also been observed in small groups. Ratels are nomadic
and have a large home range. They are very secretive and
usually nocturnal, hunting at night. When threatened, a ratel
will attack and has even been known to attack human hunters
and cars. Ratels, especially wounded ones, secrete foul
scented anal oils to discourage enemies. Probably the most
intriguing aspect of ratel behavior is its symbiotic relationship
with the honey guide. The honey guide bird will lead a ratel to
a beehive and wait for the ratel to rip apart the hive, exposing
the desired parts. The ratel eats the honey and leaves the
larvae and wax, as well as hard to get at honey. The honey
guide then swoops in for a tasty reward of larvae, wax, and
honey.
Buffalo used to travel in herds across the plains. As they
walked through the grass the insects would fly out of the grass
and the cowbirds would eat them. Sometimes they would
even ride on top of the buffalo, waiting for swarms of insects
to emerge. Why would buffalo allow hitchhikers? Well, it
seems buffalo are very large, but they have poor eyesight. The
cowbirds, on the other hand, can spot predators nearly a half
a mile away. When they see oncoming danger, the birds fly
into the air, alerting the beasts to the threat.
9
10
Sea anemones are animals, but they live sedentary lives at the
bottom of the oceans. They feed on tiny fish and zooplankton
floating in the water, but have stinging tentacles to defend
themselves from being eaten. A clownfish (like Nemo) builds
up an immunity to the sea anemone’s poison and then lives in
the safety of the anemone’s tentacles, venturing out only to
catch its food. In return for shelter, they are good
housekeepers, ridding their host of unwanted parasites and
leftover food bits. They are ferocious in defending their
territory, offering protection from anemone-eating fish such
as butterfly fishes.
The lamprey is an eel-like animal that attaches itself to other
fish. It gets its energy and nutrients from the blood of other
animals. The lamprey scrapes a hole in the fish's skin, attaches
its sucker mouthparts, and sucks the blood out. This can cause
sores on large fish, or can cause death to small fish.
11
12
Bromeliads are plants that grow on other plants. They are
found in rain forests and collect rainwater to use in
photosynthesis, rather than having roots to gather water from
the soil. Several species of tree frogs will lay their eggs inside
a bromeliad. This provides a safe pool for the tadpoles to
develop into frogs. These tadpole nurseries do not seem to
help or hurt the bromeliads or the trees on which they are
living.
Hermit crabs occur in sandy-bottomed or muddy-bottomed
waters and occasionally on land and in trees. They have a soft
abdomen, two pairs of antennae, and five pairs of legs. The
first pair of legs form pincers and the crab walks on its second
and third pairs of legs. It uses its shorter fourth and fifth pairs
to grip its shell protection. As the crab grows, it periodically
leaves its shell to find and move into a larger one, but it
cannot make its own shell. It usually finds shells discarded by
dead snails to use for protection.