Name: _________________________________________________________Date: _________
Which Symbiosis is it?
M - Mutualism- a symbiotic relationship that benefits both organisms involved.
C - Commensalism- a symbiotic relationship that benefits one organism and the other is not helped or harmed.
P - Parasitism- a symbiotic relationship that benefits one organism and the other is harmed.
____ 1. A tick living on a dog. Symbiosis organism 1 organism 2
____ 2. A tapeworm living in a 6th grade student’s intestines.
____ 3. A bird building their nest in a tree.
____ 4. The hermit crab carrying the sea anemone on its back.
____ 5. A whale and barnacles.
____ 6. Head lice living on a human scalp.
____ 7. The ants protecting the acacia tree and tree provides food for the ants.
____ 8. Orchids growing in tall tropical trees, the trees are not harmed but the orchids get sunlight.
____ 9. A sixth grader and their pet.
____10. Algae growing on the fur of a sloth, giving it camouflage.
____11. Small mites live on your skin, eating dead skin cells. You don’t even notice.
____12. The clownfish and the sea anemone.
1. Oxpecker and zebras: Oxpeckers are a type of small bird that land on zebras and eat ticks and other
parasites that live on the zebra’s skin. The oxpeckers get food and the zebras get pests removed.
Organism 1: helped harmed not harmed/not helped
Organism 2: helped harmed not harmed/not helped
Symbiotic Relationship: _____________________________
2. Tapeworm and animals: Tapeworms are segmented flatworms that attach themselves to the insides of the
intestines of animals such as cows, pigs, and humans. Tapeworms get food by eating the host's (animal)
partly digested food, depriving the host (animal) of nutrients.
Organism 1: helped harmed not harmed/not helped
Organism 2: helped harmed not harmed/not helped
Symbiotic Relationship: _____________________________
3. Spider crab and algae: Spider crabs live in shallow areas of the ocean floor, and greenish-brown algae
lives on the crabs' backs, making the crabs blend in with their environment, and unnoticeable to predators.
The algae get a good place to live, and the crab gets camouflage.
Organism 1: helped harmed not harmed/not helped
Organism 2: helped harmed not harmed/not helped
Symbiotic Relationship: _____________________________
4. Remora and the shark: Remora fish are small fish that make their niche by picking up the scraps that
sharks leave behind while feeding. The shark makes no attempt to prey on the remora fish.
Organism 1: helped harmed not harmed/not helped
Organism 2: helped harmed not harmed/not helped
Symbiotic Relationship: _____________________________
Mutualism
Commensalism
Parasitism
