While roles in the animal kingdom may seem fairly well defined, there are exceptions to every rule! Sometimes, animal friends and companions seem to defy the laws of the animal kingdom!

Elephant and dog: Tarra and Bella, the elephant and dog duo who have gotten a great deal of media attention over their unique friendship reside at a Tennessee elephant sanctuary. When Bella suffered a spinal cord injury and couldn't move, Tarra stood vigil outside the office where Bella lay for three weeks until they could resume visits together.

Crow and Kitten: When Ann and Wallace Collito spotted a small and skinny homeless black kitten in their backyard, they tried to bring it in to give it food and water. They were quite surprised when a crow began to exhibit protective behaviors towards the kitten, blocking their approach. They soon noticed that the crow was actually feeding the kitten insects and worms. The crow, Moses, and the Kitten, Cassie, continued to be friends after the kitten had grown up - eating, walking and visiting together.

Tiger and Piglets: When a despondent tiger that had lost her cubs was matched up with a litter of piglets dressed in tiger-skin wraps, she took them as her own, nursing and protecting them. There is also evidence that other zoos have had similar success, sans the skins.

Polar Bear and Huskies: When Norbert Rosing saw a polar bear approaching his team of huskies, he was worried he was about to see the end of his dogs. Instead, the bear seemed to just be playing with the dogs. It reappeared every night for a week and each time, simply visited and played with the dogs before leaving again.

Snake and Rat: At a Tokyo zoo, Gohan and Aochan are perhaps the strangest cage-mates present. The reason? Gohan, a dwarf hamster named after a popular snack food, was supposed to be Aochan's meal. Instead, the two became friends, napping together and living peacefully in the same cage. Aochan eats frozen rodents, by the way.