Steve McCurry's photos show the complex relationship between humans and animals

Steve McCurry has achieved legendary status with his documentary photography, and is perhaps best known for his portrait of the "Afghan Girl" with the piercing green eyes published in 1985.

But the influential American photographer, who has built his career around his daring coverage of armed conflict, has a lesser known passion: animals.

They are the subject of a new book simply called "Steve McCurry. Animals," published by Taschen, CNN reports.

The book compiles the photographer's favorite photos, from cats in Myanmar to camels in Jordan.

"Animals are one of my favorite subjects to shoot; they are completely unpredictable," said McCurry in an email.

"Animals are in constant motion, have a mind of their own and rarely pay any attention to directions from a photographer. Understanding animal behavior is essential to making good animal photographs, just as understanding human behavior can help with taking someone's portrait," he said.

The idea of photographing animals and people has been on McCurry's mind since he started out as a young photographer. His sister gifted him his first photo book, a collection of pictures of dogs and their owners by Elliott Erwitt, titled "Son of Bitch."

"It was the first time I saw a book on animals with humor, pathos and wonderful storytelling," he said.