Elephants are known as ‘ecosystem engineer’ as they help maintain the integrity of their natural habitats. Other species rely on them greatly as they open access to sources of water, create microhabitats by shredding threes for small vertebrate species such as lizard, uproot small trees (which would invade open grassland areas, shifting habitat to new forests), thereby enhancing the habit for grazing. Elephants do not feel threatened by and therefore generally ignore other species. However, they have a mutualistic relationship with some species of birds. The birds would feed on ticks, lice, endoparasites or seeds of various plants that are present on the elephant, or use them as look out points for prey. Thus the birds are able to find food and the elephants are cleaned and freed of parasites.
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