John sent me a collection of photographs showing that a small mongoose-like animal hitches rides on rhinos and other large creatures in previously unrecorded behavior.
George Dvorsky writes at io9, “Earlier this month, conservationists working in South Africa’s Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park were very surprised when they reviewed photos snapped by their camera trap. Images revealed a mongoose-like genet hitch-hiking on the backs of at least two different species of animals — behavior never seen in the mammal.
“Zoologists have observed cowbirds riding on the backs of cattle to pick off their parasites, along with egrets grazing on the tiny creatures that collect on wildebeest. But mammals riding on the backs of other mammals? Not so much. At least not outside of humans and their domesticated animals. That’s what makes this recent discovery so unique.
“The Conservationists write at their blog, Wildlife Act Team:
This series of photographs depicts a large spotted genet on top of two individual buffalo. One of the buffalo seemed to be unimpressed with the genet and can be seen turning around and thus shaking the genet off. The other buffalo was quite content to let the genet “tag along” for an evening stroll. The genet seemed to have spent this particular evening riding buffalo!”
More here. Lots of pictures.
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