Meet the real Timon and Pumba: Warthogs and mongooses team up as great pals in real-life

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Meet the real Timon and Pumba: Warthogs and mongooses team up as great pals in real-life. Timon the meerkat and Pumba the warthog's friendship from the film The Lion King may have been closer to reality than thought - according to a new scientific study of cross-species co-operation. The major scientific review has highlighted how warthogs collaborate with mongooses, close relatives of Timon's species use a mix of signals, postures and calls to coordinate behaviour with other species - allowing them to cooperate, trade benefits and avoid being exploited. Published in Animal Behaviour, the study draws together evidence from mammals, birds, fish and insects to show that communication across species boundaries is far more sophisticated than previously thought. Cleaning species use conspicuous movements or colour patterns to reassure larger predators that interactions will be safe. Others rely on more subtle cues, including vibration or scent. Senior author Dr van der Wal, of the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, said the flexibility of these systems is key. “In some forms of interspecies cooperation, cues and signals vary depending on the ecological context, the species involved, and whether the signal is inherited or learned,” she said. The researchers also argue that many of these communication systems may have evolved gradually from simple behavioural cues that were initially incidental, into more refined signals that actively facilitate cooperation.