13 adorable photos of unlikely animal friends

This dog and duck make quite the duo.Pam Ishiguro/Barcroft Images/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

• From a monkey that hitched a ride on the back of a goat to rats that comfort abandoned kittens, animals can form unlikely friendships.
• There's often a good reason for these friendships.
• Wild animals, like buffalo, are often covered in birds who eat bugs off the buffalo's back.
• Other times animals form emotional attachments to other species when they've experienced loss or abandonment.
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Animals from different species often form unexpected friendships that make for picture-perfect moments.

Many animals and pets can form genuine, close relationships with one another. Some of these animals offer each other emotional comfort, while others offer physical benefits, such as picking bugs off each other's fur.

From a great Dane and a baby deer to a dog and a duck, here are 13 photos of unlikely animal companions that prove friendship can be found everywhere.