By posing for us, are these red-billed oxpeckers imposing on the impala? Well, science hasn"t quite decided on this one. The relationship between parasite-eating birds and hoofed mammals was once considered a textbook example of mutualism, with oxpeckers cleaning up the ticks and fleas that bug the bigger beasts. Which is what we"d like to think is going on here.
Relationship status: It s complicated
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Skyscraper Day
-
How do ladybugs winter?
-
Antarctica Day
-
Roques de Benet, Els Ports Natural Park, Catalonia, Spain
-
Galeries Lafayette, Paris
-
Dancing waters of Dubai
-
The mighty, mighty mushroom
-
D-Day remembered
-
A tree amid the Tetons
-
Independence Day
-
An enduring vision
-
It s World Bee Day
-
Native American Heritage Month
-
Instant romance
-
Russell lupines, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
-
Into the woods
-
Here we mark the price of freedom
-
It’s showtime for a precious crop
-
Málaga, Spain
-
We did not invent this, honest
-
Inside the Oculus
-
Lobster tales
-
American bison, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
-
A peek at an explosive peak
-
Vacuum Chamber 5 at Glenn Research Center
-
Happy birthday to Crater Lake National Park
-
Let the holiday shopping commence
-
Winter solstice
-
It s a ruff life
-
Take a hike near Lovers Lane