Beverly Joubert Instagram – All aboard! It’s not uncommon to see giraffes accompanied by a sizeable entourage of oxpeckers. These resourceful birds pluck off parasites embedded in the giraffe’s skin, so the hitchhikers are usually tolerated in exchange for this vital cleaning service. The relationship is not entirely symbiotic though. Oxpeckers have also been recorded pecking at open wounds to feast on blood, which can slow the healing process putting large mammals at risk of infection. If the birds become too much of an irritation, a flick of the neck should send them fluttering away … temporarily, at least.⁣ ⁣ #giraffe #wildlife #nature