While the giant, flightless ostrich has poor senses of both 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 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.
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 tentacles. Most fish stay away from anemones to avoid being stung. However, the clownfish makes its home among the sea anemones. It does not get stung because its body is protected by special coating. Living among the deadly tentacles of an anemone has a clear advance-most predators stay away! Another benefit for the clownfish is that it is able to eat the anemone's leftover bits of food. But what is the advantage to the anemone? There are several. First, the brightly colored clownfish attracts predators. When the clownfish swims under the anemone's tentacles to safety, if the predator follows, the anemone has the chance to sting and eat it. Other services the clownfish performs are cleaning up food scraps and dead anemone tentacles, and chasing away fish that might eat the anemone.
While many symbiotic pairs may at first look like odd partner, the benefits they provide one another are invaluable, and may make the difference between life and death. In fact, it is often these animals' very differences that make them perfect partners.