Hi there! I’m Esther, and I have a fun story to share with you. One evening, as the sun was setting, I went for a walk and saw something amazing in the sky. At first, I thought it was a cloud, but it was actually a huge group of birds called starlings flying together. Isn’t that cool?
Many animals like to be with others of their kind, just like those starlings. But do animals only spend time with their own kind? Let’s find out!
My friend Charlie asked a great question: Can animals be friends with different kinds of animals? You might think animals stick with their own kind because they eat the same food and live in the same places. Being in a group can also keep them safe. But what about animals that are different? Do they ever hang out together?
In Canada, you might see a bird called a magpie sitting on an elk. The elk doesn’t seem to mind at all. Are they friends? What do you think?
Some people might say yes because they look peaceful together. Others might say no because they’re not playing or talking. But here’s a secret: there’s a tiny bug called a tick hiding in the elk’s fur. Ticks are annoying and can make elks sick.
Guess who loves eating ticks? Magpies! So, the elk gets rid of ticks, and the magpie gets a yummy snack. This is called mutualism, where both animals help each other. It’s like a special kind of friendship!
Think about your friends. You help each other and have fun together, right? I have a cat named Olive, and we’re friends too. We play, hang out, and I help her by feeding her. Spending time with Olive makes me happy.
Animals can have friendships like this too. Let me tell you about a baby elephant in Africa. He was all alone and didn’t want to eat or play. So, the rescuers brought in a sheep to keep him company. At first, they didn’t get along, but soon they became great friends. They played, walked, and had fun together!
So, yes, different kinds of animals can be friends! Just like us, they can play, help each other, and enjoy spending time together. Isn’t that wonderful?
Thanks for joining me on this adventure! Stay curious, and keep exploring the amazing world around you. See you next time!
Animal Observation Walk: Take a walk in your neighborhood or a nearby park with a grown-up. Look for different animals and observe if they are interacting with each other. Can you spot any animals that seem to be friends, like the magpie and the elk? Draw a picture of what you see and share it with your class. Discuss why you think these animals might be spending time together.
Friendship Role Play: In pairs, choose two different animals that might be friends, like a dog and a bird. Act out a short story where these animals help each other, just like the magpie helps the elk by eating ticks. Think about what each animal might say or do. Share your story with the class and talk about how the animals are helping each other.
Mutualism Match-Up: Create a simple matching game with cards. On one set of cards, draw pictures of animals like magpies, cleaner fish, or bees. On another set, draw the animals they help, like elks, larger fish, or flowers. Mix up the cards and try to match each animal with its friend. Discuss with your classmates how each pair helps each other and why this is important in nature.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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(phone ringing loudly) – Hi, it’s Esther. One evening, right as the sun was setting, I went out for a walk. When I looked up at the sky, I saw something surprising. At first, I thought it was a cloud or smoke, but it turned out to be a gigantic flock of birds called starlings. Wow! Many animals spend time in groups like these starlings, living and playing with others of the same kind. But is this always the case? Do animals only spend time with others of the same species?
Someone named Charlie has a question about this. Let’s give Charlie a call now. (phone ringing loudly) – Hi, Esther. – Hi, Charlie. – I have a question for you. Can animals be friends with other kinds of animals? – That’s a great question! You might guess that most animals spend time with those like them because they eat the same things and live in similar places. Being in a group can also help keep them safe. But what about animals that aren’t the same? Do they ever spend time together?
Well, check out these two. In Canada, it’s common to see a magpie sitting or walking on an elk. The elk doesn’t seem to mind at all; they look so relaxed together. But are they friends? What do you think? Now would be a good time to pause the video and discuss.
Okay, you ready? Some of you may have answered yes, these two are friends. You might have noticed how peaceful the bird and the elk looked together. Others may have said no, they’re not friends because they’re not doing anything together. Maybe you thought the elk looked relaxed because it didn’t notice the magpie. But guess what? Scientists have observed that elks can get annoyed when other birds try to sit on them, yet they let the magpie stay. Why? Well, there’s a third creature in the video hidden in the elk’s fur. If you’ve ever taken a hike or gone camping, you might guess what it is: a tick, a tiny blood-sucking bug. Ticks love to attach themselves to elks, which is not only itchy and annoying but also dangerous, as they can carry diseases.
And guess who loves eating ticks? Magpies! So both animals benefit from this relationship. The elk gets rid of ticks, and the magpie gets a meal. Scientists who study animals call this type of relationship mutualism. Mutualism is when everyone in the relationship gains something beneficial. The animals help each other, and helping is a big part of friendship.
Think about your friendships for a moment. You help each other out in many ways, but there’s more to being a friend than just helping. When you think about your friendships, you probably also think about the fun things you do together, like playing, going places, and just being together. When I think about my friends at your age, I remember the fun things, like sledding, building forts, and making up games.
But I don’t only have friends who are human. I also think about Olive, my cat. We play, hang out, and I help her by feeding her and taking her to the vet. Spending time with her makes me feel calm and happy. Olive and I are friends in many ways similar to how I am friends with other humans.
But we’re not the only ones with this type of friendship. Check this out: This baby elephant was orphaned and brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Africa. The rescuers tried putting him with a group of other elephants to see if they would adopt him, but that didn’t work. He was rejected and wouldn’t eat, play, or even drink water. The rescuers were very worried about him, so they brought in a sheep from a neighboring farm to be his companion. They didn’t know how this would turn out, but they were ready to try anything to help the elephant.
At first, things didn’t go so well. (sheep bleats loudly) (elephant trumpets loudly) (sheep bleats loudly) But in just one day, they started playing and spending time together. After a few days with the sheep, the elephant drank milk for the first time since he was rescued. After that, the sheep and the elephant continued to spend most of their time together, playing, resting, going on walks, and just having fun at the wildlife refuge.
So in summary, different kinds of animals can be friends. When we observe different animal relationships, like me and Olive or this elephant and sheep, these friendships look very similar to how we are with our human friends, whether it’s playing, helping each other, or just having fun spending time together.
That’s all for this week’s question. Thanks, Charlie, for asking it! Now for our next episode, we reached into our question jar and picked out three questions sent to us that we’re thinking about answering next. When this episode is done playing, you’ll get to vote on one. You can choose from who invented email, how do you build a bridge that lasts for 100 years, or why do people get headaches? So submit your vote when the video is over. We want to hear from all of you watching. There are mysteries all around us. Stay curious, and see you next week!
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