Interspecies friendship

An interspecies friendship is a bond that is formed between animals of different species. Numerous cases have been reported among wild and domesticated animals and documented with photography and video.

Interspecies friendships have been reported and recorded between numerous varieties of animal species, including mammals, birds, reptiles, and combinations of these. In many cases, the pairs of animals include those not known to get along, and sometimes, one is of a species that ordinarily predates on the other in nature.

Reasons for interspecies friendships include a mutually beneficial exchange between the pair, the need for social bonding, a need for protection, or is often unknown.