Symbiotic ants as an alternative defense against giraffe herbivory in spinescent Acacia drepanolobium
We explore here the occurrence of aggressive ants in an apparently symbiotic relationship with the savanna tree Acacia drepanolobium and their effects on giraffe herbivory on the Athi-Kapiti Plains, Kenya. Trees taller than 1.3 m were more likely to be occupied by aggressive ants in the genus Crematogaster than were shorter trees. Ants were concentrated on shoot tips, the […]
Palewinged Starling gleaning on desert-dwelling Giraffe, northwestern Namibia
The Yellowbilled Oxpecker Bupgagus africanus, Redbilled Oxpecker B. erythrorhynchus, Cattle Egret Ardeola ibis and Fork-tailed Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis have all been observed in direct feeding association with Giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis. While the first two are highly adapted obligate ectoparasite gleaners, the latter two species are facultative ectooarasite gleaners that otherwise actively prey upon insects incidentally […]