Animal Partnerships by Okapi

Flying Start to Literacy: Levels T–V (50) Animal Partnerships

Animal Partnerships

okapi educational publishing

Written by Kerrie Shanahan

Animal Partnerships

FLYING START TO LITERACY

Text type: Report Level: T (50)* Word count: 1,921

Advanced Fluent Levels Q–S (40)* Paired books

Perspectives books

Content vocabulary adapted algae benefit commensalism energy grooming host larvae mutualistic organisms paralysis parasite parasitic partnerships pests plankton predators protection relationships secreting shelter species sucker symbiotic venom win-win

What Makes a Champion?

Swim Like a Fish

Playing Competitive Sports

HeroRATs

Clever Ratty

Putting Animals to Work

Behind the Scenes at the Zoo

So Far from Home

Animals in Captivity

Key concepts • A symbiotic relationship is a partnership between two animals of different species that spend most or all of their lives living closely together. • There are different types of symbiotic relationships.

Get Me to School!

The Sky Ladder

An Education

First-time Visitors

Odysseus and the Cyclops

Hazardous Adventures

Polio: A Frightening Disease

Dance On!

Preventing Diseases

Reading strategy Identifying how graphics complement or extend the written text

The Mighty Mississippi

River Boy

Sharing the River

What’s the Attraction?

Rescue at Blue Canyon

Vacation Destinations

Our Active Earth

A New Geyser Erupts

Living in Dangerous Places

Clean Energy

Surviving the Earthquake

The Impact of Climate Change

Protecting the People of the Arrow

Outsiders!

Uncontacted People

Exploring Space

Ocean Rescue

Space Exploration

Paired book Honey Hunters © 2021 EC Licensing Pty Ltd. This work is protected by US copyright law, and under international copyright conventions, applicable in the jurisdictions in which it is published. All rights reserved. The trademark “Flying Start to Literacy” and Star device is a registered trademark of EC Licensing Pty Ltd in the US. Purchasers of this book may have certain rights under applicable copyright law to copy parts of this book. Purchasers must make the necessary enquiries to ascertain whether, and to what extent, they have any such right in the jurisdiction in which they will be using the book. Photographs: cover © Levent Konuk | Shutterstock; p.2, 18, & 19 (br) © Rich Carey | Shutterstock; p.3 (t) © Pat Olson | Dreamstime.com, ™ © Shutterstock; pp.4 & 31 (m) Daniel Lamborn | Shutterstock;p.5 © Claudia Lothering | Shutterstock; p.6 © Divelvanov | Shutterstock; p.6–7 (m) © Melissaf84 | Dreamstime.com; p.7 © Somyot Mali-ngam | Shutterstock; p.8 John Anderson | Dreamstime.com; p.9 (t) ChameleonsEye | Shutterstock, (br) © Valentyna Chukhlyebova | Dreamstime.com (bl) © stockpix4u | Shutterstock; pp.10 & 32(l) © Somyot Mali-ngam | Shutterstock; p.11 (tl) © Mulikov | Dreamstime.com, (tr) © Protasov AN | Shutterstock, pp.3(tr) &11 (inset) © Franktisek Dulik | Shutterstock; p.12 © Steve Childs | Wikimedia Commons; p.13 (l) © Gerald Robert Fischer | Shutterstock, (r) © nicolasvoisin44 | Shutterstock; pp. 3 (tl) 14 & 31 (b) © Ondrej Prosicky | Shutterstock; pp.14–15 © James Dvorak | Dreamstime.com; p.15 © Chase Dekker | Shutterstock; pp.16 & 32 (r) © rck_953 | Shutterstock, (inset) © Emily Ballain | Shutterstock; p.17 (l) © Steven Ellingson | Dreamstime.com, (r) © Shutterstock; p.19 (t) © Cigdem Sean Cooper | Shutterstock, p.19 (bl) © dive-hive | Shutterstock; p.20 © Mike Laptev | Shutterstock; p.21 (t) © David A. Litman | Shutterstock, p.21 (bl) © lunamarina | Shutterstock, (br) © Maria Spb | Shutterstock; pp.22 & 25(t) © nechaevkon | Shutterstock; pp.22–23 (m) © VladKK | Shutterstock, p.23 © Aleoks | Shutterstock;p.24 © andriano.cz | Shutterstock; p.25 (bl) © Jne Valokuvaus | Shutterstock, p.25 (br) © | Shutterstock;pp.26, 31 (t) © IanRedding | Shutterstock; p.27 (t) © Margus Vilbas |Alamy; p.27 (bl) © blickwinkel/H, Bellmann/f.Hecker | Alamy, (br) © Henrikhl | Dreamstime.com;p.29 (t) © Henri Koskinen | Shutterstock, (bl) © Wikimedia commons, (br) © Aleksander Grozdanovski | Shutterstocp.30 (t) © Michael Bogner | Shutterstock, (bl) © Malisa Nicolau | Shutterstock, (br) © Christian Schmidt | Dreamstime.com.

Developed by Eleanor Curtain Publishing Printed and bound in China through Colorcraft Ltd, Hong Kong Distributed in the USA by Okapi Educational Publishing Inc. Phone: 866-652-7436 Fax: 800-481-5499 Email: info@myokapi.com www.myokapi.com www.flying-start-to-literacy.com ISBN: 978-1-76095-956-2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 21 22 23 24 25

okapi

Advanced Fluent Levels T–V (50)* Paired books

Perspectives books

Animals in Danger: Orangutans

Ahmad’s Journey

Disappearing Rainforests

Discovering the Lost World

Exploring Galápagos

Natural Wonders of the World

Animal Partnerships

Honey Hunters

Living Together

Restoring Coral Reefs

Colorful Coral

Ecosystems in Trouble

Fighting For Children’s Rights

A Dollar a Day

Children and Work

The Camera Doesn’t Lie!

The Scoop

Caught on Camera

Leading the Way

An Unlikely Leader

What Makes a Leader?

Living With Robots

Milo and the Robots

Robots

Living in Harsh Environments

Into the Desert

Living With the Weather

The Mystery of the Pyramids

King For a Week

Archaeological Treasures

Privacy and the Internet

Tagged!

Watching Every Move You Make

Back from Extinction

The Return of the Woolly Mammoth Extinction Is Forever

educational publishing

* Levels indicated by letters are Okapi’s unique measurements, comparable to the Guided Reading levels of Fountas and Pinnell. Numerical levels in parentheses align with DRA.

Animal Partnerships

Written by Kerrie Shanahan

Contents Introduction

Chapter 1

Win–win

Clown fish and sea anemones

Caterpillars and ants

Shrimp and goby fish

One winner, no loser

Hummingbirds and flower mites

Remora fish and sharks

Whales and barnacles

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

One winner, one loser

Ticks

Blue butterfly caterpillars and ants

Flatworms and snails

Conclusion

Glossary

Index

A small cleaner wrasse fish is cleaning the mouth of the larger fish.

Introduction Some animals live most or all their lives in close contact with an animal from another species. This ongoing relationship between different types of animals is called a symbiotic relationship. Why would animals do this? Why would they spend their whole life with another type of animal? Most animals do it because they get something out of the relationship. They might get an easy meal, protection, shelter, or help with grooming.

There are different types of animal partnerships. In some partnerships, both animals benefit. In others, one animal benefits, and the other isn’t affected in either a good or bad way. But sometimes, one animal benefits while the other is harmed. This is good for the one, but bad for the other. The world is full of weird and wonderful animal partnerships!

This oxpecker is picking ticks off the buffalo. The oxpecker eats the ticks and this helps the buffalo.

1 Win-win

Chapter

Sometimes, both animals in a partnership benefit by living together. This type of relationship is called a mutualistic relationship. Both animals in the partnership have one or more of their needs met. They might get food, shelter, or protection from predators, or they might be cleaned by the other animal, which helps them stay healthy.

 A goby fish and shrimp live side by side.

 Clown fish and a sea anemone live together. 6

Here are some examples of animals that benefit from living together: • clown fish and sea anemones • caterpillars and ants • shrimp and goby fish. How do these relationships work?

 These weaver ants are protecting a caterpillar. 7

Clown fish and sea anemones You’ve probably seen images of stripy clown fish zipping in and out of the long tentacles of a sea anemone. These two animals live together, which benefits both of them. Sea anemones are animals that attach themselves to rocks or coral. They have long tentacles that can sting and trap small fish and other sea animals that they then eat. Clown fish shelter in the tentacles of sea anemones and use them as protection. Predators that might want to eat a clown fish will not risk getting stung by the sea anemone’s poisonous tentacles. They leave the clown fish alone.

Do you wonder why? A sea anemone doesn’t have eyes, so how does it know not to sting and eat the clown fish? The clown fish has slimy mucus on its body. Because of this mucus, the sea anemone doesn’t recognize it as food, and so it doesn’t release its venom to sting it.

The clown fish is good for the sea anemone, too. The clown fish keeps the sea anemone clean by eating up any leftover food or algae that is growing on it. Clown fish also help the sea anemone by chasing away predators that might want to eat it. This is a win-win partnership!

Who wins?

Clown fish gets protection and shelter – the clown fish wins

Anemone gets cleaned and protected – the anemone wins

Weaver red ants tend a caterpillar.

Caterpillars and ants Have you ever heard of ants that protect caterpillars? Well, it does happen. And these particular ants and caterpillars would not survive without each other. This partnership is an example of a fairly common type of symbiotic relationship, in which one animal gets protection and the other gets food. These caterpillars secrete a special sugary substance for the ants to eat. The ants protect the caterpillar from predators such as wasps and bugs that want to eat it. They attack and scare away these killers to keep the caterpillar safe.

One type of caterpillar has even developed a noise that it makes when it needs protecting. When it makes this noise, the ants come running and they attack. They know they must protect the caterpillar . . . and their food! Both animals are winners in this partnership.

Who wins?

Ant gets food – the ant wins

Caterpillar gets protection – the caterpillar wins

Did you know?

Some ants have a partnership with insects called aphids: • The aphids produce a type of sweet waste called honeydew, which the ants eat. • The ants protect the aphids from predators. 11

Shrimp and goby fish Deep in the ocean, a shrimp is busily digging a burrow in the sandy seafloor. When it has finished digging, it will hide inside the burrow, safe from larger fish that are looking for a meal. The shrimp, which is nearly blind, carries the sand it has dug to deposit outside the burrow. This is dangerous work! Swimming above are fish looking for their next meal. Hovering just outside the burrow is a slender orange goby fish. It is watching the shrimp closely. Is this the end for the hardworking shrimp? Luckily, the goby fish doesn’t eat the shrimp. Instead, it swims above it, in a protective manner.

The goby fish and the shrimp live side by side in a burrow.

When a large fish swims by, the goby fish starts frantically swishing its tail back and forth, tapping against the shrimp’s antennae. Danger! Danger! Thanks to the goby fish, the shrimp knows to hide. It scurries back into the safety of the burrow. The danger is gone for now, so the shrimp zips back outside and resumes digging. And the goby fish continues to stand guard, looking out for danger. When the burrow is finally finished, the shrimp retreats inside. So too does the goby fish. The shrimp shares its new burrow with its bodyguard, the goby fish. What a partnership!

Who wins?

Shrimp gets protection and shelter – the shrimp wins

The goby fish gets shelter – the goby fish wins

Chapter

One winner, no loser

Sometimes, when two animals live together, only one animal benefits. It gets one or more of its needs met such as food, protection, shelter, or a way of moving around. The other animal in the relationship isn’t affected. It doesn’t get anything positive from the relationship, but there aren’t any major negatives, either. This is called commensalism.

 A hummingbird

 A remora fish

Here are some animals that live together. Only one of them benefits from the relationship, while the other animal is not harmed: • hummingbirds and flower mites • remora fish and sharks • whales and barnacles.

 This humpback whale is covered in barnacles. 15

Hummingbirds and flower mites Some animals are great movers. They run, fly, swim, or hop from one place to another. But other animals aren’t so great at moving. So how do these animals get around? Well, some hitch a ride with another animal! Flower mites are tiny eight-legged creatures that feed on the nectar and pollen of flowers. They can walk from flower to flower on one plant, but if they need to get to flowers on another plant, it’s too far for these small creatures to walk.

When the hummingbird puts its beak in a flower, the flower mite crawls up its nostril and gets a ride to the next flower.

This tiny red mite eats flower pollen and nectar. It’s a long walk to the next flower. 16

Amazingly, the flower mite catches a ride inside a nostril of the hummingbird. The hummingbird also eats nectar, and it flies from plant to plant doing so. The flower mite gets transported straight to its food source. The flower mite benefits from this partnership. The hummingbird doesn’t benefit, but it isn’t greatly affected, either. The mite drinks nectar, but there is still enough for the hummingbird, too!

Who wins?

Flower mite is transported from flower to flower – the flower mite wins

Hummingbird is unaffected

These remora fish have attached themselves to a whale shark.

Remora fish and sharks When an animal moves from one place to another, it uses lots of energy. So if an animal can save this energy, then why not? It’s a big benefit for the creature. The remora fish is a saltwater fish that lives in warm ocean waters all around the world. It has an interesting way of getting around in the ocean. It attaches itself to a shark! Typically, a fish has a fin on top of its body. But the fin on top of the remora fish looks very different. It has adapted into a flat oval-shaped sucker. It looks a bit like the sole of a shoe.

Close up of the sucker on a remora fish

When a remora fish uses this sucker to stick onto the shark’s back, it is upside down. The fish gets a free ride, and therefore saves a lot of energy. It is also thought that the fish eats leftover food scraps from its host. What does the shark get out of this partnership? Nothing! But having a small remora fish on its back doesn’t greatly affect the shark either. It may slow the shark down a tiny bit, but not enough to be a problem.

Who wins?

Remora fish gets food and transport – the remora fish wins

Whale shark is unaffected

Whales and barnacles Whales cover large distances as they swim through ocean waters. Adult barnacles are small sea animals that can’t move – not without the help of a whale! Barnacles produce eggs that turn into larvae. During this stage of life they swim around freely. But when they develop into adults, they cannot move. So when it is time to become an adult, the larvae land on a whale. They then use their antennae to find a place on the whale that gets good water flow, such as the whale’s head or front fins. As the barnacle larvae develop into adults, they create tube-shaped holes on their underside. Gradually, the whale’s skin is pulled up into these holes as it grows. The whale’s skin continues to grow and fills up the holes. The barnacle is stuck firmly to the whale for the rest of its life.

Did you know? There are over 1,000 species of barnacles. Each species lives only on a particular species of whale. 20

This humpback whale has barnacles growing on its head. But why do barnacles do this? Whales eat plankton, which are tiny organisms that float in the water. Barnacles eat plankton, too. So when a whale swims through a patch of plankton, the barnacles get an easy meal along with the free ride. The whales get nothing positive from the barnacles living on them, but they aren’t affected in a negative way, either.

Who wins?

Barnacle gets food and transport– the barnacle wins

Whale is unaffected

Chapter

One winner, one loser

Not all animal partnerships are good for both animals. Sometimes, when one animal wins, the other animal loses. This type of relationship is called a parasitic relationship. The animal that benefits is the winner. It is called the parasite. The animal that the parasite lives on is the loser. It is called the host. The host is affected in a negative way by the relationship. It can become injured or sick, or even die because of the partnership.

 The caterpillar of the large blue butterfly is a parasite.  A tick

One animal in a parasitic relationship needs the partnership, but the other animal definitely does not. Each of these animals couldn’t survive without the animal it lives with: • ticks • parasitic caterpillars • some flatworms.

 This snail’s eyestalks are swollen with the larvae of a flatworm. 23

Ticks Ticks are small animals that feed on the blood of other animals. They are found all around the world in forests and woodland areas. Ticks attach themselves to a host – an animal such as a dog, horse, deer, rat, or bird. Some types of ticks then feed nonstop on their host’s blood. This relationship is great for the tick because it has a constant food supply and a place to live. But the relationship is damaging for the host.

A vet removes a tick from a dog’s ear.

A tick crawls on a blade of grass. Ticks are small and hard to see.

The tick can hurt the host, and can even cause death. The tick doesn’t want this to happen – it needs a live host so that it can continue living there. But sometimes, the tick drinks too much, or it might secrete venom into its host. This venom damages the host’s nerves and causes paralysis and sometimes death. This is a one-sided animal partnership where only the tick wins.

Who wins?

Tick gets food and shelter – the tick wins

Dog becomes ill or paralyzed and could die – the dog is the loser

Blue butterfly caterpillars and ants Some caterpillars and ants have a positive partnership in which both animals help each other survive. But there is one type of caterpillar that is an enemy to a certain type of red ant. And the ant doesn’t know it! The caterpillar is an enemy in disguise. The caterpillar of the large blue butterfly pretends to be an ant so that it can get inside the nest of the red ants. How does it do this? The caterpillar releases a scent and makes sounds that trick the ants into thinking it is an ant larvae. The ants then carry the caterpillar back to their nest, thinking they are taking one of their own young ants back home.

This red ant is moving an ant grub to safety.

This red ant is carrying the caterpillar of the blue butterfly, which looks like the red ant grub.

Once the caterpillar is in the nest, it eats the ant larvae. The caterpillar even copies the sounds made by the queen ant so that the adult ants leave it alone. It can then eat as many young ants as it pleases. The caterpillar stays in the nest for almost a year, until it is ready to transform into a butterfly. This is a great partnership for the caterpillar, but definitely not good for the ants!

Who wins?

Caterpillar gets food, shelter, and protection – the caterpillar wins

Ant dies – the ant is the loser

Flatworms and snails One type of tiny flatworm has an incredible parasitic relationship with snails. The relationship is great for the flatworm, but a disaster for the snail! It begins when a snail eats the eggs of the flatworm. The flatworm’s eggs hatch inside the snail. After hatching, the flatworm larvae move into the snail’s eyestalks, where they grow bigger and bigger. The larvae grow so big that the snail’s thin eyestalks become swollen. They look like wriggling worms or caterpillars – the perfect food for a bird. When a bird sees the snail, it gobbles it up – with the flatworm larvae inside it! Inside the bird, the flatworm larvae develop into adults and reproduce, creating eggs. When the bird leaves its droppings on a plant, the droppings are full of flatworm eggs. When a snail eats the bird droppings that contain flatworm eggs, the cycle begins all over again.

Can you believe it? Flatworms inside a snail infect the snail’s brain. This causes the snail to climb toward the sunlight where it is easily seen by birds. Normally snails stay hidden in the shade, out of sight! 28

The eyestalks on this snail are swollen with the flatworm larvae.

Who wins?

Flatworm gets food, shelter, and protection – the flatworm wins

Snail dies – the snail is the loser

Conclusion Some animals live most of their lives with an animal from another species because living in this way helps to meet their needs. These symbiotic relationships are important for both animals involved. But these partnerships are also important to other animals and plants that live close by. The way the animals in these partnerships behave helps to keep their ecosystem healthy. Animal partnerships are not only fascinating, they play a key role in maintaining a balanced ecosystem.

Glossary host a living animal or plant on which another animal lives mucus a slippery liquid produced by an animal; this liquid protects the animal parasite a living animal or plant that lives off another animal predators animals that kill other animals for food sucker a part that some animals have that they can use to attach to other animals venom a poison that is produced by an animal; it is used to paralyze or kill other animals

Index aphids 11

parasitic relationship 22,

commensalism 14

23, 28

dogs 24, 25

plankton 21

goby fish 6, 7, 12–13

seafloor 4

honeydew 11

symbiotic 4, 10, 30

larvae 20, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29

whale shark 18

mutualistic 6

Animal Partnerships

FLYING START TO LITERACY

Text type: Report Level: T (50)* Word count: 1,921

Advanced Fluent Levels Q–S (40)* Paired books

Perspectives books

What Makes a Champion?

Swim Like a Fish

Playing Competitive Sports

HeroRATs

Clever Ratty

Putting Animals to Work

Behind the Scenes at the Zoo

So Far from Home

Animals in Captivity

Get Me to School!

The Sky Ladder

An Education

First-time Visitors

Odysseus and the Cyclops

Hazardous Adventures

Polio: A Frightening Disease

Dance On!

Preventing Diseases

Reading strategy Identifying how graphics complement or extend the written text

The Mighty Mississippi

River Boy

Sharing the River

What’s the Attraction?

Rescue at Blue Canyon

Vacation Destinations

Our Active Earth

A New Geyser Erupts

Living in Dangerous Places

Clean Energy

Surviving the Earthquake

The Impact of Climate Change

Protecting the People of the Arrow

Outsiders!

Uncontacted People

Exploring Space

Ocean Rescue

Space Exploration

okapi

Advanced Fluent Levels T–V (50)* Paired books

Perspectives books

Animals in Danger: Orangutans

Ahmad’s Journey

Disappearing Rainforests

Discovering the Lost World

Exploring Galápagos

Natural Wonders of the World

Animal Partnerships

Honey Hunters

Living Together

Restoring Coral Reefs

Colorful Coral

Ecosystems in Trouble

Fighting For Children’s Rights

A Dollar a Day

Children and Work

The Camera Doesn’t Lie!

The Scoop

Caught on Camera

Leading the Way

An Unlikely Leader

What Makes a Leader?

Living With Robots

Milo and the Robots

Robots

Living in Harsh Environments

Into the Desert

Living With the Weather

The Mystery of the Pyramids

King For a Week

Archaeological Treasures

Privacy and the Internet

Tagged!

Watching Every Move You Make

Back from Extinction

The Return of the Woolly Mammoth Extinction Is Forever

educational publishing

* Levels indicated by letters are Okapi’s unique measurements, comparable to the Guided Reading levels of Fountas and Pinnell. Numerical levels in parentheses align with DRA.

Flying Start to Literacy: Levels T–V (50) Animal Partnerships

Animal Partnerships

okapi educational publishing

Written by Kerrie Shanahan