Why Warthogs Trust Mongooses With Their Lives | Nature's Strangest Friendship

[00:00:11]Have you ever heard of Pumba, the warthog from The Lion King?

[00:00:16]In the real world, however, a wild warthog has an enemy even more troublesome than a lion. And it's an enemy it can't fight.

[00:00:34]Not far away, another family is beginning its day.

[00:00:43]In just a few minutes, these two animals, which seem to have nothing in common, will create one of the strangest partnerships on the African savana.

[00:00:56]And what happens next is even harder to believe.

[00:01:07]An adult wartthog can weigh close to 250 lb.

[00:01:12]It carries four sharp tusks, weapons designed to defend against predators.

[00:01:22]When facing a lion, a leopard, or even an entire pack of hyenas, it won't hesitate to charge. A single thrust from those tusks is enough to make many predators think twice. And yet, all that strength is completely useless against a creature no bigger than a fingertip. Ticks.

[00:01:52]Dozens, sometimes hundreds of them, cluster around the ears, hide inside folds of skin. Day after day, they feed on blood, leaving the wthog constantly irritated.

[00:02:11]It rubs against tree trunks, rolls across the ground, scratches its neck with a hind leg, shakes its head over and over, but nothing seems to work. The ticks, buried deep inside its ears and remain almost untouched.

[00:02:34]Meanwhile, a family of banded monguses is beginning its morning search for food. They live in close-knit groups.

[00:02:43]Every member has a role.

[00:02:49]While most lower their heads to forage, one always stands upright on guard. The moment danger appears, an alarm call rings out.

[00:03:05]Instantly, the entire group races back to the safety of its burrow.

[00:03:12]Only after the danger has passed do they return to feeding.

[00:03:20]That's how they survive on the predator-filled African savana.

[00:03:28]And during one ordinary foraging trip, something unexpected happens.

[00:03:37]Ahead, a mother warthog and her piglet.

[00:03:42]But what catches its attention isn't the wartthog itself. It's the ticks covering the mother's body.

[00:03:52]The mongoose walks closer, slowly, carefully.

[00:03:57]Then something remarkable happens.

[00:04:01]The wthog doesn't chase it away.

[00:04:03]Instead, she slowly lowers herself onto her front knees, dropping her head almost as if she's waiting. The first mongoose gently steps onto her shoulder.

[00:04:16]Within seconds, the others join in. Each chooses a different spot.

[00:04:24]They're searching for only one thing, small external elements. One after another, these elements are quickly addressed.

[00:04:40]A swift action and another small external element is removed.

[00:04:48]Then another.

[00:04:51]Throughout the entire process, the warthog barely moves.

[00:04:56]No more constant head shaking.

[00:04:59]No more twitching ears.

[00:05:12]And during one ordinary foraging trip, something unexpected happens.

[00:05:52]The other is relieved of unwanted external elements.

[00:05:56]In nature, survival isn't always about strength.

[00:07:20]But then the sentinel mongoose suddenly stands upright.

[00:07:28]It stares into the distance.

[00:07:32]An alarm call echoes across the grass.

[00:07:36]Instantly, every mongoose jumps down and sprints toward the burrow.

[00:07:47]The mother warthog immediately leads her piglet toward cover.

[00:07:55]In the distance, a lioness is approaching.

[00:08:00]A few minutes later, the lookout scans the area once again.

[00:08:09]When everything appears safe, the group resumes foraging.

[00:08:16]On the other side, the mother warthog also leaves her hiding place with her piglet.

[00:08:24]Only a few minutes later, the two families meet again, and the unfinished work continues exactly where it left off.

[00:08:38]All right.

[00:09:29]The encounter ends as quickly as it began.

[00:09:38]The banded monguses continue searching for food.

[00:09:44]The mother warthog leads her piglet away.

[00:09:52]There are no words of thanks, no reward, just two wild animals.

[00:10:00]Each receiving exactly what it needs.

[00:10:06]One gains a meal, the other is relieved of unwanted external elements.

[00:10:12]In nature, survival isn't always about strength. Sometimes it's built on partnerships forged over thousands of generations.

[00:11:44]Heat. Heat.

[00:11:48]right now.