“The warthogs deliberately lie down when the mongooses are around and lift their legs to allow access to the ticks,” said Dr. Andrew Plumptre, Director for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Albertine Rift Program, who is author of a scientific paper describing this unique behavior in the journal Suiform Soundings.

The banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) is a cat-like carnivore native to Africa.

It is considered a small mongoose, as adults reach 1.8 to 2 feet (0.55 – 0.6 m) in total body length. Tail length is usually about half the length of the head and body.

According to experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the species is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal and Gambia to Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia, and south to about 31 degrees in South Africa.

Although fairly widespread in southern Africa, the species appears to be rare in West Africa, and it has not been recorded from several countries including Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Niger.

It occurs in a wide range of habitats, but primarily found in savanna and woodland, usually close to water, and absent from desert, semi-desert and montane regions. It is often found in habitats containing termitaria, which are used as den sites.

The banded mongoose diet includes a variety of invertebrate material (insects, snails), small reptiles, the eggs and young of ground-nesting birds, and wild fruits.

The common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) is a large species of pig found in Africa.

It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, occurring in scattered populations in West Africa eastwards to Ethiopia and then southwards in protected areas and unsettled, or very lightly settled, areas in East and southern Africa.

It is confined to moist and dry African savanna grasslands, open bushlands and woodlands, usually within range of perennial surface water.

The species can grow up to 5 feet (1.52 m) in length and is characterized by a pair of tusks, which the warthog uses for both digging and defense.

The warthog-mongoose encounter is a rare example of mammals exhibiting a symbiotic relationship called mutualism, where two animal species form a partnership with benefits for both groups.

“Such partnerships between different mammal species are rare, and this particular interaction illustrates a great deal of trust between participants,” Dr. Plumptre said.

“It makes you wonder what else may be happening between species that we don’t see because, in order to see it, both species need to be unafraid of people.”

A BBC video of the grooming can be seen at http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Warthog#p006gjbr