Carrying A Friend From The Field

If you know the two mammals involved, you'd call this a portrait.

But does that term work for an unknown audience?

I would call this a candid snapshot.

'Candid Snapshot' ... fair enough. Now, why I can't have the foresight to see it that way BEFORE I annoy folks with a request - hard to say! I think this is one of those occasions where knowing the subject(s) and the circumstances rather colors the photographer's sense of how useful the image is (or isn't!).