The mutual relationship between a hippo and oxpeckers
FROM our neighbourhoods to vast plains of Greater Serengeti Ecosystem, friendship between parts needs commitment from each individual.
There may be different ways of showing the level or kind of friendship, but the principle of give and take is important for any friendship to thrive. In the savannah of Africa, different animals live side by side but some form a unique relationship which help each other. In the Serengeti, animals like wildebeests, zebras and antelopes are at risk of anthrax infection through injuries.
Anthrax is a serious bacterial infection caused by Bacillus anthracis. It’s typically found in soil and can affect animals and humans. Animals in the savanna can get anthrax through grazing on contaminated soil or plants, drinking contaminated water, contact with infected animals and inhaling spores.
Outbreaks often happen in dry seasons when animals are more likely to ingest spores while grazing close to the ground. Injuries can definitely increase the risk of anthrax infection in animals. If an animal has a cut or wound and comes into contact with anthrax spores in the soil, the bacteria can enter their body through the wound. In savannah, animals like grazing livestock or wildlife with open wounds are more susceptible to infection, especially during anthrax outbreaks.
Due to this kind of life, they’re more likely to get infected if they have wounds or cuts while grazing or interacting with contaminated soil or water. Wildebeests can get injuries in various ways in the Serengeti including attacks from predators, accidents while migrating or running, territorial disputes or mating battles and fights with other wildebeests.
Hippos are bad tempered giants of the river in the savannah where they may get injuries from territorial fights with other hippos, falls or accidents near water and sometimes getting stuck in mud. Zoologists say hippos are pretty tough, but their thick skin can get cracked or wounded, making them vulnerable to infections.
Hippos have super sensitive skin which is pretty thin and lacks melanin, so a prolonged exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays can actually cause their skin to dry out and crack.
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The skin of a hippo is super thick up to five centimetres. Hippos usually spend a lot of time in water, but when they’re out, they need to keep their skin moist, like applying a natural sunscreen. They secrete a reddish oily substance or hippo sweat which act as a sunscreen with antiseptic properties and protecting the animal against dehydration that act as a protector.
The secretion mechanism is like their built-in moisturiser. When hippos are in water, their skin looks smooth; out of water, it dries fast. Hippo skin dries fast out of water because it is designed to conserve moisture in a watery environment.
When exposed to air the skin loses moisture quickly, the mechanism is wonderful because when the animal steps out of water its skin feels dry. To avoid problems, the animal spends most of its time in water. The skin of a hippo is made by special material called collagen which gives it thickness, mucous glands which secrete the reddish sweat.
The reddish secretion contains hipposudoric acid or antimicrobial and norhipposudoric acid which also functions as an antimicrobial.
Zoologists say during dry season hippo skin gets drier and more cracked, more wrinkled and needs more water, to avoid problems hippos often seek mud or water to keep skin moist. Hippos wallow in mud to keep cool and protect their skin.
Scientists say a hippo can die from skin cracks if they get infected. If cracks are deep or bacteria like anthrax enter through wounds. In severe cases, infections can cause discomfort to the animal.
The problem may be caused by serious infection response. When bacteria get into the bloodstream, the body’s reaction can cause widespread inflammation. Hippos survive dry season by wallowing itself into mud, staying near water, be active at night and during day time rest under a shade. The most effective tactic is to allow woodpeckers and oxpeckers to feed on ticks and bugs from its skin.
From all parts of Africa, a hippo is known as a notorious big animal, so one may ask why does it allow birds such as oxpeckers to eat from its skin? Hippos let oxpeckers hang out on its back because it is like a sweet deal. The birds eat ticks and and bugs while they do a special grooming touch to the notorious animal.
Zoologists say through these birds’ activities the hippo get less irritation, fewer parasites and early warning system. Knowing what it is getting from the birds, the hippo does not enjoy but tolerates their presence. It’s more like a practical arrangement where birds get food, hippos get skin benefits.
Zoologists say birds like oxpeckers are attracted to the ticks, flies and other parasites living on hippo skin. The hippo’s thick skin has got lots of hiding spots for these bugs, making it a perfect food point for oxpeckers. By doing this, oxpeckers are like hippo’s personal groomers, these are small birds that love hanging on big mammals like hippos.
Oxpeckers have some powerful eyes with sharp vision capable to spot tiny ticks from afar. In general, their eyes are red but some species have bright red eyes. Oxpeckers’ eyes are relatively big for their head because the eyes are about 1 centimetre in diameter which make them pretty prominent on their small bird heads.
Oxpeckers are small birds which are about 20 to 25 centimetres long and weigh about 40 to 60 grammes. Their wingspan is about About 35 to 40 centimetres. These birds can be easily identified through their robust and curved red or yellow beak.
Due to these and other factors, depends on the hippo’s mood, hippos usually tolerate a few oxpeckers, hanging out because sometimes you may see 10 to 20 birds on one hippo. While feeding on bugs from hippos skin, oxpeckers become alarm system for a hippo which may be busy eating something.
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When these birds spot a danger, they will issue an alert to warn about the arrival of lions before flying away while making louder noises. Oxpeckers fly up, make loud calls near hippo’s ear. By doing this, lions will not catch hippos off guard, thanks to noisy.
Oxpeckers have got loud calls which are sharp and called tick-tick sounds. Meanwhile, the hearing ability of a hippo is good while the animal is swimming underwater, the same mechanism is very poor when hippo is out of water. Zoologists say hippos have got solid hearing because the animal is capable of hearing sound in water. They are able to do this because water conducts sound waves well.
The precious liquid is capable to carry sound waves faster and farther than air. Hippos’ ears are cool and positioned high on top of head and are capable of rotating radar to pinpoint sounds. These ears are unique among animals of the savannah, the ears are equipped with a special mechanism which shuts when the animal is swimming under water.
The ears shut themselves to protect the inner part from water as the animal depend on its skull to peak sound waves from the water before sending them to the brain. By doing this, the hippo shutdown its ear drum and use vibration from the skull. The presence of oxpeckers in the savannah helps the hippo to thrive because through their activities, oxpeckers reduce wounds when they eat parasites such as ticks and maggots from the skin a wounded animal. By doing this they are cleaning wounds and help to prevent infection.
Maggots on a wound of a hippo are brought by flies which lay their eggs on the wounds. Maggots feed on dead tissue on wounds and cause more infection to wounded animal. Zoologists say the presence of oxpeckers in the savannah of Africa is important for hippos survive and thrive.
With an estimated 37,100 hippos, Zambia is home to the largest hippo population in Africa, Tanzania comes second with around 20,000 hippos, closely followed by Mozambique with the same number. Uganda has about 10,000 hippos, while South Africa has around 7,000.
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