Mongooses and Warthogs Combine Against Parasites

Plants and Animals





Photo credit:

A warthog puts up with getting its hair pulled by a mongoose in return for having parasites removed. A. Plumptre

Humans aside, mammals seldom form symbiotic relationships with other mammalian species, but one example has been confirmed in Uganda where banded mongooses (Mungos mungo) groom warthogs (Phacochoerus aethiopic). A deeper study of this cooperation may help us understand how humans came to domesticate animals, a major step in our rise to global domination.