GOOD BUDDIES
Use the terms: commensalism, parasitism or mutualism to identify the type of symbiotic relationship described for each pair of organisms.
Organism PairDescription of RelationshipType of Symbiosis
1. Barnacle/WhaleBarnacles create home sites by 1. ______
attaching themselves to whales.
This neither harms nor benefits
the whales.
2. Deer/TickTicks feed on deer blood to the deer’s2. ______
detriment.
3. Wrasse Fish/Wrasse fish feed on the parasites found3. ______
Black Sea Basson the black sea bass body. Both species
benefit.
4. Remora/SharkRemoras attach themselves to a 4. ______
shark’s body. They then travel with
the shark and feed on the left over food
scraps from the shark’s meals. This
neither harms nor benefits the shark.
5. Bee/Maribou StorkThe stork uses its saw-like bill to cut up5. ______
up the animals it eats. As a result, the
dead animal’s carcass is accessible to
bees for food and egg laying.
6. Oxpecker/Oxpeckers feed on the ticks found on 6. ______
Rhinoceros a rhinoceros. Both species benefit.
7. Silverfish/Army Ants Silverfish live and hunt with army ants. 7. ______
They share the prey but their activities
neither help nor harm the ants.
8. Cuckoo/WarblerA cuckoo may lay its eggs in a warbler’s8. ______
nest. The cuckoo’s young will displace
the warbler’s young and will be raised
by the warbler
9. Hermit Crab/Hermit crabs live in shells made and 9. ______
Snail Shellthen abandoned by snails. This neither
harms nor benefits the snails.
Organism PairDescription of RelationshipType of Symbiosis
10. Ostrich/GazelleOstriches and gazelles feed next to10. ______
each other. They both watch for
predators and alert each other to
danger. Since the visual abilities of
the two species are different, they each
can identify threats the other animal
would not as readily see. Both species
benefit.
11. Cowbird/BuffaloAs buffalos walk through the grass,11. ______
insects become active and are seen
and eaten by cowbirds. This neither
harms nor benefits the buffalo.
12. Yucca Plant/Yucca flowers are pollinated by yucca12. ______
Yucca Mothmoths. The moths lay their eggs in the
flowers where the larvae hatch and eat
some of the developing seeds. Both
species benefit.
13. Mistletoe/Mistletoe extracts water and nutrients13. ______
Spruce Treefrom the spruce tree to the tree’s
detriment.
14. Honey Guide Bird/Honey guide birds alert and direct14. ______
Badgerbadgers to beehives. The badgers
Then expose the hives and feed on
the honey first. Then the honey guide
birds eat. Both species benefit.
15. Mouse/FleaA flea feeds on a mouse’s blood to the15. ______
mouse’s detriment.