Lioness and cub in late afternoon light at Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Crèchemates chilling

Here on the wild savanna, future big cats know to use the buddy system. Lion cubs are brought up in crèches, groups of 5 to 15 cubs from multiple mothers. While hunting and play-fighting, they bond with other cubs who will grow up to be fellow members of their pride. While this means these two probably aren’t exclusive BFFs, it looks like they’ve got each other’s back.