Orphan Monkey Trusts Dog With His Life

Nobody would have predicted this.

A video of an orphan monkey riding a stray dog was recently posted to Facebook.

The baby monkey uses his entire little body to hold on to the dog, who walks at a comfortable pace.

Neither the monkey or the dog seem to be frightened or causing the other distress. On the contrary, they both seem to be taking comfort in each other's company.

The video shows a "compassionate nature that should exist in every human being," according to the original poster (translated from Malay).

Some have speculated about the origin of this unusual relationship, claiming that the dog witnessed the death of the mother's monkey, but no one knows for sure, according to a local Malaysian newspaper.

It's certainly not unheard of for an animals to cross species boundaries in the name of friendship.

"I think the choices animals make in cross-species relationships are the same as they'd make in same-species relationships. Some dogs don't like every other dog. Animals are very selective about the other individuals who they let into their lives," Dr. Marc Bekoff, who studies animal emotions, says in an interview with Slate.

Bekoff points to this video of a dog and dolphin swimming and playing together as a prime example of this type of special bond.

There are plenty of examples of these unlikely friendships between different species. Here's a lion befriending a butterfly and a pig and a dog who found friendship in each other. And, of course, humans rescuing non-human animals!