Whenever you see a rhino in Africa, often they¡¯re accompanied with a bird -- a Red-billed oxpecker to be precise.?
They¡¯re often found hitchhiking on the rhino¡¯s back, feasting on ticks or other parasites from the Rhino¡¯s hide.? However, a new research has revealed that the relationship between the oxpecker and rhino is far more intuitive.
The loud oxpeckers often serve as an alarm, alerting rhinos if it notices any humans around. Lead researcher, Roan Plotz who is also a behavioural ecologist at Victoria University in Melbourne Australian explains the situation revealing that rhinos can barely see anything. Even when danger is close it can struggle to miss it.?
However, the oxpecker has a sharp vision and as soon as it senses danger, it gives out a loud shout, alarming the rhino as well as others nearby.?
Plotz and his colleague Wayne Linklater of California State University, Sacramento decided to do an experiment In South Africa¡¯s Hluhluwe¨CiMfolozi Park, where they approached 11 black rhinos by foot, in an open ground 86 times.?
They discovered that rhinos that were accompanied the red-billed oxpecker were better at detecting the researchers than ones who were alone.
According to Plotz, ¡°Rhinos without oxpeckers on their back were able to detect our approaches just 23 percent of the time whereas rhinos with oxpeckers detected them every single time.¡±
The rhinos responded to the oxpeckers shouts by getting alert, switching from their resting position. Some rhinos then headed to investigate the danger while some ran away.?
Once seen in abundance, today the population of black rhinos is dwindling, as poachers hunt it for traditional Chinese medicine. Around 5,500 black rhinos remain globally.?
Even red-billed oxpeckers are short in numbers. Earlier they commonly fed on parasites/ ticks on cattle, but since a while farmers have been treating them with pesticides.?
When oxpeckers consumed pesticide-induced parasites, they die too. So now, most of them stick to black rhinos.?
While their duo surely seems cool, it isn¡¯t as effective as most poachers tend to hunt on full moon nights -- a time when oxpeckers aren¡¯t active. Yet it is great that their arrangement atleast keeps them safe during the day.?