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18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
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Thought to be symbiotic for a long time, the relationship between Ox-peckers and large herbivores (in this case a Giraffe) is now hypothesized to be parasitic. The birds keep the skin wounds open to feed on insects/parasites around the same.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 03.2019
Date Uploaded: 11.2020
Photo Location: Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Camera: NIKON D5300
Copyright: © Swayamsiddha Mohapatra