Adorable photos of animals meeting each other at zoos and aquariums to get you through the week

Their enthusiastic reaction was captured on video, which the Toronto Zoo later posted to Twitter.

• Read more:
• A Chicago aquarium is letting its penguins wander freely and meet the other animals after closing due to the coronavirus pandemic
• The penguins who were let loose in a Chicago aquarium met Beluga whales, and it's hard to tell who was more starstruck
• A group of orangutans and otters living together at a Belgium zoo have formed an unlikely friendship
• Foster puppies went on a field trip to an empty aquarium and got to meet sharks and manta rays

Staff brought the alpacas over to the gorillas, who were fascinated by their new furry friends.

The zoo's gorillas seemed especially fascinated by two penguins named CJ and Sharky.

"Our animals miss interacting with visitors," Jacksonville Zoo spokesman Kelly Rouillard told Insider. "To help with this, and as part of their enrichment, we introduced animals who would not normally see each other in the wild."

Pairi Daiza spokesman Mathieu Goedefroy told Insider that the zoo wanted to create an enriching environment for its animals.

"It makes life more fun and interesting for both animal species," Goedefroy said. "The otters really enjoy getting out of the water on the orangutan island to go and play with their big, furry friends."

The adorable best friends are cohabiting at the Pairi Daiza zoo in Brugelette, Belgium, where they often spend their days playing together.

The Asian small-clawed otters live in a river that runs through the orangutan territory, where 24-year-old "father" orangutan Uijan and 15-year-old "mother" orangutan Sari have lived with their 4-year-old son Berani since 2017.

"They were most fascinated by the diver in our Pacific Barrier Reef window, and by the brightly-colored tropical fish," Georgia Aquarium spokesperson Hannah Hardwick told Insider.

And with names like Nemo, Dory, Guppy, Bubbles, and Marlin, the adorable kitties fit right in.

"We at Georgia Aquarium want to bring joy to peoples' day, especially during this time," a spokesperson told Insider. "And what better way than puppies?"

Eight-week-old puppies Carmel and Odie met the likes of whale sharks and manta rays during their fun-filled day.

Chico, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by his new audience.

"In true sloth fashion, Chico was pretty sleepy when we brought him to our underwater view to meet the dolphins," Texas State Aquarium spokesman Seamus McAfee told Insider. "But he did open his eyes a few times to check them out."

Liko and Schooner had a blast meeting Chico the sloth, swimming right up to the glass to get a closer look at him.

Penguins Iris, Calista, and Bosco recently explored Shedd's Underwater Beauty section, where Iris said hello to all the jellyfish.

One of the whales couldn't take their eyes off of Wellington during the visit, and he seemed just as intrigued by his new friend.

This was likely the first time the whales had ever seen a penguin. While Beluga whales live in the Arctic Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere, penguins are native to the Southern Hemisphere.

"Without guests in the building, caretakers are getting creative in how they provide enrichment to animals — introducing new experiences, activities, foods, and more to keep them active, encourage them to explore, problem-solve, and express natural behaviors," a Shedd spokesman told Insider.

Even during this time of uncertainty, it's important to keep things as normal as possible for the animals, Shedd's zookeepers added.

"Enrichment is a regular part of the animals' day, so we are keeping the day for the animals the same," they told Insider. "A field trip in the aquarium is just enrichment we don't do as frequently."

A week after deciding to temporarily close the aquarium's doors, staff at Shedd let their penguins wander around and meet the likes of dolphins, stingrays, and piranhas.

Monte the penguin seemed especially fascinated by this white-sided dolphin.