In 2020, a viral video of an unusual interaction between a badger and a coyote charmed the internet. Filmed by a remote sensor camera in California's Santa Cruz Mountains, the footage showed the two animals entering a culvert to cross under a highway. Tail wagging, the coyote bounded toward the badger and then away from it, pausing to see if the badger would follow. The badger hurried to catch up with its companion, and they trotted into the tunnel together.
Their playful behavior suggested that the pair shared a friendly bond. But can animals truly be friends, as humans are?
