10 поразительных примеров командной работы в дикой природе

In its very rudimentary form, teamwork is the basis of civilization . Humans banding together for mutual benefit is what allowed us to grow beyond simple foragers in the wild and develop cities, economies, agriculture, religion, and even language. It has worked very well for us as a species. And sometimes it works even beyond our species.

10. Killer whales hunted by humans

It has been suggested that the dogs were originally domesticated by our hunter-gatherer ancestors to help them hunt. It's just a theory, but it's certainly a good one when you consider that it's more than just dogs that we've relied on to help us hunt over the years. For example, a group of hunters in New South Wales, Australia, once teamed up with killer whales to hunt on the high seas.

It is known, what's between 1840 and 1930 The whalers of the city of Eden worked with orcas to catch baleen whales. The human whalers hunted for the baleen, but the orcas also valued it as a food source. For a time, the orcas were just a nuisance whale in the way, until the humans noticed something unusual. A pod of orcas began herding the baleen whales toward the hunters.

The pod was led by a large killer whale, which the hunters named Old Tom. He began to approach the whaling ships andbeat the tail on the surface. The humans realized in time that they needed to follow the whale to where the other orcas had cornered the baleen whale. The whalers would kill it, and the pod would feast on the meat, leaving the fat and bones for the humans, which was what they wanted.

9. Eels and groupers hunt together

Fish are often considered to be some of the least intelligent animals in the world. People compare themselves to goldfish when, for example, they forget something and lose track of their thoughts. But the sea can surprise you, and there is a lot going on beneath the waves.

Researchers have found that both eels and grouper will hunt together to their mutual benefit, suggesting it's not just random encounters . Perch usually hunts in open waters during the day, while the eels hunt on the reefs at night. This means that the grouper's prey can avoid them by hiding in the reefs, and the eels' prey can avoid them by sticking to open water. You can see how the partnership can benefit each member.

To make this work, the grouper will actively approach the moray eel and shake its head until it attracts the eel's attention. The eel will then join the grouper in hunting on and around the reef, and sometimes the grouper will even lead the eel to the hidden fish. From observation, both fish are ultimately more successful in the hunt than either fish alone.

8. People and dolphins fish together

We've seen that whales can help humans hunt other whales, but they're not the only aquatic mammals that have benefited from teaming up with humans. Dolphins have also used us, and the two species have teamed up off the coast of Brazil.

In this case, dolphins serve as eyes for humans. mullet hunting . Fishermen do not see schools of mullet in the water, but they have their nets ready. Dolphins chase the mullet, leading them to people. At the right moment, the dolphins will roll on the surface of the water, signaling to people cast nets.

Most of the mullet will be caught in the nets, and those that manage to escape will break their formation, allowing the dolphins to grab them and get their share.

7. Kenyan honey guides work with people to find hives

It’s not just at sea that humans benefit from helpful animals. In the air, the Kenyan honeyguide is a sweet tooth’s best friend. It’s also one of the few wild animals that actively communicates with the people it helps. In fact, people can communicate directly back. It’s weird, but also well-documented.

Honeyguide birds do what their name suggests. They will lead people, often without much prompting, to hidden bee nests full of honey. The Yao people of Mozambique can call wild birds with a simple sound, and they will respond. They will make their way to the honey and wait for their human partners. Once there, the humans will break the hive and take the honey. They leave behind bee larvae and wax, which the bird can eat.

The relationship between man and bird has been documented back in 1588, but for many years, researchers who did not take the time to study them considered this an exaggeration or an outright lie.

6. Langur monkeys and Chital deer look out for tigers

If you live in a world where tigers regularly lurk and possibly try to eat you and your friends, you might be tempted to make friends to avoid them. That seems to be what they do langurs and chital deer in India.

Both deer and monkeys serve as quick meals for predators like tigers, and both have efficient ways predator detection independently, but they have some disadvantages in coverage. In the trees, the monkeys have a better view of approaching predators, something the deer cannot do on the ground. They can send out a signal to warn not only other langurs, but also deer when something appears.

The monkeys can’t stay in the treetops all the time, and on the ground, foraging or traveling, they have poor eyesight, so what do they do? This is where deer come in. On the ground, the deer’s excellent sense of smell alerts them to the presence of approaching predators. They can then warn the monkeys to return to the trees while they flee. It’s an “I scratch your back, you scratch mine” situation that helps keep them alive better than any species could manage on its own.

5. A barbel fish cleans hippos underwater

Hippos are known to be one of the most aggressive animals in Africa, killing over 500 people per year They are very territorial, and given their size, few would dare to stand in their way. However, the barbel fish does not hinder the hippo, but helps the hippo.

Like everyone else, hippos are prone to dry skin. They can also get insects and parasites infesting the various folds and pits of their skin. They have formed a mutualistic relationship with barbel fish in rivers, in which both species benefit. Barbel have small, sucker-like mouths that they use to scratch the hippopotamus' entire body . This allows them to scrape off all the dead skin and parasites and eat them. The hippo gets a full body cleaning and everyone wins. The fish even cleaning the hippopotamus' mouth A single hippopotamus can sometimes be covered with dozens of fish doing their job.

4. Carrier crabs carry sea urchins

Sea urchins don't do much in their daily lives. They look like aquatic porcupines and are able to move around, although their little legs are hard to see. They can also move on their spines if necessary. They don't have eyes, but they do have mouths, and that, along with their spines, is why they get along so well with host crabs. .

Crabs use two legs to carry objects on their backs. These legs have been specially adapted for this task, allowing them to get a good grip on fairly large objects that they balance on the back of their shells. In this case, they are carrying a sea urchin. The urchin's many poisonous spines serve as protection from predators for the crab as it travels along the seabed. At the same time, when the crab finds food, the urchin can eat the scraps left by the crab. It will also get new feeding spots when the crab finally lets go, which benefits both creatures.

3. Yucca moths need yucca plants and vice versa

There are few examples of collaboration as profound as the relationship between yucca moths and yucca plants. The fact that either of these life forms is still alive is actually quite remarkable when you consider the extent to which they do for each other.

Yucca, like any other plant, needs pollination to reproduce. Insects are one of the most common pollinators in nature, and we all know the example of things like bees, which move from plant to plant and spread pollen around. But with yucca, things are a little more complicated, since they have only one pollinator - Yucca butterfly.

After reproduction, the male yucca's life is over. The female goes to a yucca plant and picks up pollen, then transfers it to another yucca plant where she deposits and pollen, and their eggs . The plant is now fertilized and produces seeds and fruit. The butterfly caterpillar will eat these when it hatches. Because of the very specific nature of their relationship, neither the plant nor the moth could survive without the other.

2. Leafcutter ants grow fungus

Leafcutter ants live in southern climates, and you’ve probably seen them in videos putting on an impressive show. Entire armies of them will travel across the forest floor carrying large chunks of leaves in their mandibles. At first glance, it may appear that the ants eat the leaves they carry, but this is not the case. Instead, the leaves are more of a gift for partnering with a fungus that grows in their own nests.

A leafcutter ant's nest can contain thousands of chambers and cover a huge area of land. They bring these leaves home to fertilize their tiny farm plots. The leaves are used to grow mushrooms, which feed on ant larvae .

Ants are so good at growing this fungus that they remove rotten material and debris and also protect them from predators or pests.

1. Sloths, moths and algae work together

When it comes to complex relationships between living organisms, nothing beats our friend the sloth. They may not move fast, but they don’t need to, because sloths are part of a three-way partnership with moths and algae that benefits everyone.

You may have seen the green tint of some sloths' fur. That's algae growing in the crevices of their fur. Their thick fur is also home to an entire ecosystem of insects, like cockroaches and moths. Together, these two things, the algae and the bugs, give the sloth a wonderful natural camouflage Hanging from a tree branch in the jungle, they would be nearly invisible to many predators.

Besides the covering, sloths actually eat algae that grow on their bodies. And if you know sloths, you know that they come down to the ground to do their business. But why? They might as well be pooping from trees. But coming down to the ground allows sloths to come into contact with areas where moths lay their eggs in and around the sloth's poop. This allows new moths to settle in their fur. In doing so, the moths increase the nitrogen levels in the fur, which encourages more algae growth. So we're back where we started, with sloths eating algae.