Missing The PointMastodon right now
MizzBassie@MissingThePt Great photo. Do you know that those birds pick parasites off the elephant?
Laux Myth (aka Martin)@MizzBassie @MissingThePt It can get more complex than that. If an open cut happens, the birds will keep it open to drink the blood coming out. Seldom a big problem for the think hides of elephants and rhinos but they are brutal to giraffe and antelope. Mutualism while you wait to be a parasite has no word in English.
@lauxmyth @MissingThePt Thank you for that information. That’s fascinating. I wonder if there is a word for that relationship in any language.
@MizzBassie Well, biology does have a term for it.
Facultative parasite. I pulled a bit more from the web.
What is obligate vs facultative parasite?
An organism that can not complete its life cycle without its host is called obligate parasite. They cannot live without host. A facultative parasite is an organism that may resort to parasitic activity, but does not absolutely rely on any host for completion of its life cycle. It is not completely dependent on host.
@lauxmyth Thank you.