As painful as loss may be, sometimes love and kindness blossom in the aftermath of tragedy, with friendship inspiring hope when all other joy has faded.
Such is the story of little Notty, the baby zebra, and Tytan, the baby rhinoceros, when they struck up an unlikely friendship in the wake of losing their mothers.
According to this video, Notty and Tytan lost their mothers and were rescued a week apart after they were orphaned in the wild.
Tragically, both of their mothers fell off a cliff. After they were rescued, they ended up in the same facility, where they quickly became acquainted and comfortable with each other.
Notty frequently speaks her love language with Tytan. She will lick her rhinoceros friend to her heart’s content, while he lies back and enjoys all of her sweet affections. Honestly, these two deserve their own Disney movie!
Related: Baby Rhino’s First Steps at Fresno Zoo Are Too Precious for Words
According to this video, grooming is a very important bonding ritual for zebras in the wild. So, Notty bestowing this sweet affection on Tytan really shows how much she has come to care about him. They are practically like family to each other now.
Unsurprisingly, the Internet absolutely adored these two. Everyone who commented on this video was completely enamored with the affectionate way Notty and Tytan interacted with each other, even though they are animals of two different species.
Many people stated that we humans could learn a thing or two about getting along from Notty and Tytan.
Tytan Is a True Darling
As this other video shows, this baby rhinoceros may have had his biological family stolen from him by a cruel twist of fate, but his adorable charm is now stealing hearts everywhere!
Here, Tytan is using his little horn to make this spot in the dirt more comfortable for him so that he can lie down and take a nap. And he seems like he’s having a pretty good time doing so, too!
Just look at the joyous way his ears and little tail twitch and wiggle as he realizes it’s about to be naptime. He is proud of himself, and rightfully so, for figuring out how to rhino without having any other rhinos around show him the way.
Clearly, Tytan is a special little soul. No wonder another gorgeous little creature like Notty has taken such a liking to him. They may not deserve to have lost their families, but they definitely deserve to have each other!
This story was originally published by PetHelpful on Jan 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here.