(Courtesy pbs.org

Isn’t it funny how the unlikeliest individuals end up together? (Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, need I say more?) Unexpected pairings exist in the animal kingdom too. On Animal Odd Couples, an episode of Nature, airing on GPB at 8:30 p.m. tonight, we’re introduced to some of nature’s strangest but endearing creature friendships.

There is the story of Kasi, a male cheetah and MTani, a female golden retriever, both residents of Busch Gardens Florida. Staff put them together when they were babies because they were both orphans. Their friendship blossomed.

“The thing that surprises me most is how they seem to need one another,” says Tim Smith, Assistant Curator at Busch Gardens Florida. “Kasi the cheetah in particular - he seems to need her. If she’s not around, he’s looking for her.”

There is also the story of Amy the deer and Ransom the dog. Amy “adopted” Ransom when he was young and temporarily blind. While he has regained his eyesight, he regards Amy as his mother. They sleep together at night; Amy grooms him in the morning.

Apparently love conquers all in the animal kingdom too.

Temple Grandin, the autistic professor of Animal Science made famous by a cable television movie about her life, is featured in the documentary and observes, “what cross species relationships show you is that there are behaviors and emotions that are cross species. Mammals have certain behavior that are cross species because they are mammals.”

You can watch a preview of Animal Odd Couples below. What do you think of the relationships?

Watch Animal Odd Couples on PBS. See more from NATURE.