Animal Friendships That May Surprise You (PHOTOS)

Who said animals don't need friends too?

A recent book from National Geographic magazine writer Jennifer S. Holland examines some of the most unlikely, and heartwarming, friendships in the animal kingdom.

"Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom," features images of friendships between animals as disparate as goats and hippos, monkeys and doves and even lizards and cats.

They may be a little unusual, but interspecific friendships occur more often than you might expect. Check out this video of a great dane and a deer hanging out or these friends who happen to be an owl and a cat.

Click here for even more videos of animal friends.

Check out some of the most unlikely animal friendships below, ranging from the adorable to the bizarre. To see more unlikely animal buddies, vist the book's Tumblr page.

Images courtesy of Workman Publishing and credited photographers.

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• Piglet and Rhodesian Ridgeback

• Monkey and Dove

• Orangutan Baby and Tiger Cub

• Pitbull, Siamese cat and chicks

• Macaque and the Kitten

• Elephant and sheep

• Owlet and the Greyhound

• Lion, Tiger and Bear

• Hippo and Goat

• Iguana and cat

Comments

[JeMcDonald80]

04:42 PM on 06/07/2012

Adorable, especially the monkey and bird.

[Fishergrl78]

01:23 PM on 03/25/2012

I love pitbulls and the pitbull picture just proves they're not monsters. Speaking of animals-I can't wait for the new Earth Day movie to come out. But, that's just me :)

[Fortune27]

09:01 PM on 03/01/2012

I know you're not suppose to project human emotions on the animals but I swear these animal friends have such a look of love and comfort in their eyes. I guess friendship is friendship no matter what the species and the affects are universal. Who wouldn't want this kind of relationship with another?

Oh, yeah, Republicans...

[Brittany Lince]

10:18 PM on 03/08/2012

Way to bring politics into something so completely unrelated. You need to relieve some political angst somewhere else!

[Fortune27]

11:17 PM on 03/08/2012

I know! Sometime I just can't help myself. LOL!

[donnyraindog]

07:38 AM on 02/17/2012

Nice slide show and a good way to start ones morning but I wonder shall we ever see an Elephant and a Donkey sit down for a couple of drinks together?

[Mason Hernandez]

11:18 AM on 02/17/2012

are you talking about Chris Christie and Newt Gingrich

[SirenForSanity]

10:27 PM on 02/20/2012

:)))

[wilray]

02:53 AM on 02/16/2012

Lions, tigers, and bears. Oh My!

[vetxcl]

09:34 PM on 02/15/2012

Uhuh. Photoshot or photoshopped?

[Run Dusty Run]

08:15 PM on 02/15/2012

D'AAAWWWW!!!!

[Jim8]

02:45 PM on 02/15/2012

Not unlike human relationships, it can go horribly wrong sometimes. My favorite is the monkey and the dove. But me and my sun conure aren't much different.

Wanna see the sun conure? Scan my icon.

[AngryHarpy]

03:26 AM on 02/15/2012

The baby elephant and sheep in this story has a documentary behind it. It's less than an hour, so those of you turned off by the word 'documentary' shouldn't be put off. It's really sweet and worth the watch. Here's the first part:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIiCQmJacsA

[americanalien]

01:32 AM on 02/15/2012

The monkey and the dove are so cute. That's a timeless picture.

[sck1623]

09:15 AM on 02/15/2012

I know. That one is my favorite too.

[stanleycorp1]

12:11 PM on 02/15/2012

Yeah my favorite too. Its a good photo to show that although we may be different, share different beliefs, come from different places, we can still love each other.

[stanleycorp1]

12:16 AM on 02/21/2012

I have not read this in a way but to reply to my own comment... awww how sweet

[AnneTally]

12:49 AM on 02/15/2012

I have two rescue pit bulls and when they first came into my home they had to contend with my two very territorial cats. My staffie is still terrified of my older cat but won't go to sleep unless my other cat is curled up next to him. They look ridiculous together but it works for them. They're brothers from another mother :-)

[Mindy Czech]

10:12 PM on 02/14/2012

The kitty and iguana are cute, as are the iguana and the dog.

My bunny Maggie and cat Figaro had a sweet friendship. At first, Figaro was terrified of Maggie. Maggie was there first, and all she had to do was turn around in her cage and look at him and he'd go running. He'd get chased by her when she would hop around the living room, and it would often result in him cowering in my room until she was put back into her cage. The two of them ended up bonding and becoming close friends, and they'd cuddle together when she was out. He'd sit by her cage and keep her company, and was definitely in mourning when she died in July of 2010.

[AnneTally]

12:41 AM on 02/15/2012

I'm glad Maggie had such a friend :-)

[drudriver]

09:55 PM on 02/14/2012

Awwww, all these pictures make me want to go huff my puppy. People on drugs should huff puppies, and then they wouldn't have a need to do drugs. Just a thought~

[wsirons]

04:03 PM on 02/15/2012

puppy huffing? I like it!

[drudriver]

11:40 PM on 02/16/2012

Puppy huffing is all good! It gets you high on puppies and life!

[gingercurls]

05:54 PM on 03/01/2012

Frito paws!

[Lincoln212]

09:47 PM on 02/14/2012

We humans could learn much from animals.

[arayamm]

01:04 AM on 02/15/2012

I agree!

[Aaron Peeples]

09:40 PM on 02/14/2012

I could look at unlikely animal friendship pictures all day. The dog/cat/chicks one is my favorite. If animals went to college, that picture would surely be on a school's brochure.

[PatA]

03:23 AM on 02/15/2012

I did know the dog's name. He is a star on Youtube and you could find him by using "pitbull with chicks". There are numerous videos about him and his love for other animals. Unfortunately he has passed but he lives on on YouTube. The videos are definitely worth seeing.

[Gladys1963]

10:22 PM on 02/20/2012

The book based on this is wonderful! Gives the backstories on all the animal friendships.