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
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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.
