Friday, 13 November 2015

Say awwww! Cute bird gives giraffe a free dental check up as it pecks away at bits between its teeth

Giraffe spotted getting a check-up by a flock of birds in Tanzania 
Red-billed oxpeckers feed on blood and ticks from large wild mammals
One of the birds was seen helping the giraffe clean its teeth out  

PUBLISHED: 10:23, 5 November 2015 | UPDATED: 11:50, 5 November 2015

Caters
Going to the dentist is a tiresome experience at best, and judging by this scene, it seems it is no different in the wild. 

These pictures show a giraffe waiting for a red-billed oxpecker to finish working as its dentist, in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania.

However, despite the kind gesture from his bird-friend, the giraffe appears to be anything but grateful as it pulls a series of grumpy faces during the 'check-up'.  

The red-billed oxpecker is a common sight on the plains of sub-Saharan Africa, where they often spend their day perched on large wild mammals.

Their favourite foods are ticks and blood, and 'hunt' in the backs of  antelopes, zebras and giraffes - and evidently also their gums.

The amazing images were taken by Yulia Sundukova, a 36-year-old photographer from Moscow, Russia, lat month.

'It was so funny to witness - everything about it was like a trip to the dentist,' Ms Sundukova said. 


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