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Living in the wild can be hard. Finding food and staying safe aren't easy. Each day, animals struggle to survive in their habitats.

Not all animals get by on their own. Some animals form a close partnership with other kinds of animals. These pairings are called symbiotic relationships.

In a symbiotic relationship, the animals depend on each other. One animal helps the other meet its needs. Sounds good, right? Not always. Some animals are not very kind to their partners.

In some cases, one animal meets its needs but hurts its partner. Sounds crazy, but it does happen. Take ticks, for example. These insects guzzle blood to live. To get blood, they attach themselves to other kinds of animals. Ticks do not help their hosts. Instead, they can pass germs that cause disease.

In other relationships, animals don't treat their partners so poorly. Both animals benefit, or get help, from living with the other animal. Check out how animals pair up to survive.

Small animals called cleaner shrimps have found a way of helping fish at coral reefs. As their name suggests, the shrimps clean the fish. Here's how it works.

The shrimps hang out at what scientists call a cleaning station. A fish stops by. Then a shrimp climbs onto the fish. The shrimp even steps into the fish's mouth.

The shrimp uses its tiny claws to pick stuff off the fish's body. That can include dead skin, tiny pieces of food, and wee creatures that can hurt the fish. The fish gets a nice cleaning. The shrimp enjoys a tasty meal of fish trash.

Small birds called plovers are also in the cleaning business. They have big customers—crocodiles. Crocs have long snouts filled with sharp teeth. Cleaning them is tricky.

That's where the plover comes in. When a croc opens its mouth, the plover hops right in. The croc does not snap its snout shut. Instead, it lets the plover eat small, harmful animals attached to the crocodile's teeth. The plover gets an easy meal. The croc gets clean teeth.

Many animals have to chase after a meal. Not the oxpecker. Instead of swooping through the sky searching for insects, this bird catches a ride aboard large animals from antelope to zebras.

Don't those animals mind carrying birds on their backs? No. You see, an oxpecker picks ticks and other pests off its buddy's body. That helps the animal stay free of blood-sucking bugs. In exchange, the oxpecker gets plenty of food. It's a perfect partnership.

Egrets also hang out with large animals, such as hippos and rhinos. When those big beasts walk, their feet stir up insects and other small animals on the ground. That means the egret doesn't have to look far for a meal.

Some animals need each other because they like the same food. Take the honeyguide bird and the ratel. They live on grasslands in Africa.

Both animals love honey. Yet each has a problem getting some. The bird can find a beehive, but can't open it. The ratel can open a hive, but doesn't know how to find one.

So the two animals team up. The bird flies over the grasslands, looking for hives. When it spots one, it swoops down and makes noise. The sound tells the ratel to come eat.

The ratel uses its sharp claws to tear apart the hive. It gobbles up most of the honey-covered mess. Then the honeyguide bird enjoys finishing off the leftovers.

Land and sky animals aren't the only ones that work together. So do some sea animals. One of the oddest couples is made up of the sea anemone and the clownfish.

You might think sea anemones look like plants, but they are really hungry animals. They attach themselves to a rock or a coral reef. There they wait for a fish to swim by. Then they sting it with their tentacles. The stunned fish is then pulled into the sea anemone's hidden mouth.

Still, one daring fish makes its home among sea anemones. It's the clownfish. This orange-and-white fish isn't kidding around. Its body is shielded by a thick layer of mucus. The slime protects the clownfish from the sea anemone's dangerous, stinging tentacles.

The clownfish is also a good neighbor. It helps the sea anemone by luring in fish. When a hungry fish spots a colorful clownfish, it darts toward it. The clownfish safely swims under the anemone's tentacles. If the hungry fish follows, it gets stung. Then it becomes the anemone's next meal.

The brave clownfish not only reels in fish food, it chases away fish that might eat an anemone. So the clownfish and anemone help keep each other fed and safe.

All animals want to do one thing—survive in the wild. Some do that by living alone. Others live in flocks, herds, hives, packs, or schools. Some animals, both large and small, know the best way to stay alive is to live with or near other kinds of animals.

At first glance, these teammates don't seem to make sense. If you look more closely, you'll soon learn that these animals help one another find food, shelter, and safety. They make the most of their various differences. These unlikely partners pair up to get the most out of life.

Article by Amy Sarver. Top-of-page photo © Frank Lukasseck/zefa/Corbis. "Odd Couples" appears on pages 6-11 of our January-February 2006 issue.

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