in some cases of simbiosis, 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 beehive. however,
this smaal bird cannot open a beehive to get at the honey. to accomplish this, ti terms up with the ratel. ratels are a
perfect match to the honeyguide as they love honey, are large enough to crack open a hive, but have no ability to
find hives themselves. the honeyguide files over grasslands looking to a hive. when it does spot the 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 tarel invites the honeyguide to finish the leftovers.
another two animals that term 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 seven-foot-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, from far in the distance while
zebras can smell or hear others as they approach.
bird 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 anemone, which look like plants, are actually dangerous animals with poisonous