Hundreds of Fish and Oxpeckers Remove Thousands of Parasites From This Buffalo

[00:00:00]Across the African savanna, this Cape buffalo is enduring an assault from hundreds of blood-sucking ticks.

[00:00:10]Ticks are clustered around its ears, the base of its horns, its neck, shoulders, and deep folds of skin.

[00:00:23]While swarms of flies constantly buzz around its eyes and nostrils, making every moment miserable.

[00:00:35]It has tried everything.

[00:00:37]Shaking its head, flicking its ears, rubbing against tree trunks, rolling across the dusty ground.

[00:01:04]But the ticks refuse to let go.

[00:01:20]Finally, the buffalo walks into a river.

[00:01:31]As the water rises to its belly, the first small fish begin to appear.

[00:01:43]While swarms of flies constantly buzz around its eyes and nostrils, making every moment miserable.

[00:01:52]From its belly and groin to its thighs, knees, and even its hoofs, almost no exposed skin is left untouched.

[00:02:11]Hundreds of fish press their mouths against the buffalo's body, carefully searching every fold of thick skin for parasites.

[00:02:24]As soon as one fish moves away, another immediately takes its place.

[00:02:40]Together, they move like a living carpet, covering the buffalo's lower body.

[00:02:50]Where ticks are most concentrated, several fish crowd into the same spot, pecking and pulling at parasites that cling tightly to the skin.

[00:03:10]Meanwhile, above the surface, red-billed oxpeckers begin to arrive.

[00:03:30]They land on the buffalo's horns, shoulders, and back before quickly moving toward the areas with the heaviest tick infestations.

[00:03:40]Their slender bills probe deep into the ear folds, around the horn bases, and through the wrinkles of the neck and shoulders.

[00:03:52]With every precise peck, another tick is removed.

[00:04:00]The birds work rapidly.

[00:04:11]The moment one tick is swallowed, they step to the next spot, searching for more hidden parasites.

[00:04:21]Beneath the water, the fish never stop working.

[00:04:42]They constantly change positions, covering everything from the buffalo's belly down to its legs, inspecting every patch of skin, every wrinkle, and every layer of soft mud still clinging to its body.

[00:05:34]Above the water, the birds clean the areas the fish cannot reach.

[00:05:40]Two completely different species are cleaning the buffalo at the same time.

[00:06:23]>> After only a short while, the number of ticks has dropped dramatically.

[00:06:32]The buffalo no longer shakes its head over and over.

[00:06:42]Its ears stop twitching so violently.

[00:06:50]It stands quietly in the river, its eyes half closed, breathing slowly, barely reacting to the flies still circling overhead.

[00:07:02]For the fish, this is a nutritious meal.

[00:07:13]For the red-billed oxpeckers, it is another familiar source of food.

[00:07:21]And for the buffalo, it is a mutually beneficial relationship that greatly reduces the burden of parasites.

[00:07:43]After only a short while, the number of ticks has dropped dramatically.

[00:07:52]Sometimes it depends on simple partnerships that benefit benefit every species involved.

[00:08:00]Here in the rivers of the African savanna, each creature plays its own part in keeping the ecosystem in balance.

[00:09:49]>> Oh.