RE: Egyptian Plovers and similar symbiosis

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@umd.edu>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu [mailto:owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu] 
> On Behalf Of Scott
>
> clownfish and anemones
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Scott Hartman" <skeletaldrawing@gmail.com>
> To: "Dino List" <dinosaur@usc.edu>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 3:51 PM
> Subject: Egyptian Plovers and similar symbiosis
> 
> 
> > So, I'm sure most of the DML readers have heard of the "Egyptian
> > Plover cleaning the teeth of Nile crocs" bit, and I further expect
> > most know that this behavior is at best undocumented, at 
> worst a myth.
> > 
> > The question I have for you all is: does anyone know of any 
> hard facts
> > documenting the plover/croc behavior?  Failing that, what similar
> > forms of behavioral symbiosis can you think of that are in fact
> > documented?  The closest I could come up with is an oxpecker feeding
> > off the backs of large mammals, but that's not really all 
> that close.

Marine analogues of various cleaner fish at reefs.

While true there are many terrestrial examples of body cleaners (e.g., 
sharp-beaked ground finches cleaning tortoises, iguanas, and
sea birds on the Galapagos; certain turtle species cleaning rhinos and other 
large-bodied mammals in lakes in Africa; etc.), I am
not certain of good terrestrial tooth-cleaners.

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Email: tholtz@umd.edu   Phone: 301-405-4084
Office: Centreville 1216                        
Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
Dept. of Geology, University of Maryland
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/
Fax: 301-314-9661               

Faculty Director, Science & Global Change Program, College Park Scholars
http://www.geol.umd.edu/sgc
Fax: 301-314-9843

Mailing Address:        Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                        Department of Geology
                        Building 237, Room 1117
                        University of Maryland
                        College Park, MD 20742 USA