Native to Eastern and Southern Africa are black rhinos. Despite having poor eyesight and relying more on their hearing and smell, these rhinos can hold their own in the wild, easily fending off hyenas and lions.
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“Their basic body plan has proved to be good enough to survive on a savanna full of large predators, being very large, thick skinned, big rapier-like horns.”
Their thick bodies, however, don’t stand a chance against humans with guns. Today, because of poaching, these rhinos are now critically endangered. Fortunately, they got help, in the form of the red-billed oxpecker.
The chatty, sociable birds often hang out on the backs of rhinos, feasting on parasitic ticks.
These birds play a vital role in helping the rhinos avoid poachers. They serve as eyes for the rhinos, and with their noisy calls, they give the rhinos an early warning to flee.
More about this over at Scientific American.
(Image Credit: Gerrie van Vuuren/ Wikimedia Commons)
Source: neatorama