Solitary but social
Encyclopedia
"Solitary but social" is a type of social organization where individuals forage separately, yet some individuals sleep in the same location or share nests. Female home range
s usually overlap while those of males do not. Males usually do not associate with other males, and male offspring are usually evicted upon maturity. Among primate
s, this form of social organization is most common among nocturnal, prosimian
species. Examples of species that can be categorized under this type of social organization include mouse lemur
s, loris
es, and orangutan
s.
Home range
Home range is the area where an animal lives and travels in. It is closely related to, but not identical with, the concept of "territory".The concept that can be traced back to a publication in 1943 by W. H. Burt, who constructed maps delineating the spatial extent or outside boundary of an...
s usually overlap while those of males do not. Males usually do not associate with other males, and male offspring are usually evicted upon maturity. Among primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
s, this form of social organization is most common among nocturnal, prosimian
Prosimian
Prosimians are a grouping of mammals defined as being primates, but not monkeys or apes. They include, among others, lemurs, bushbabies, and tarsiers. They are considered to have characteristics that are more primitive than those of monkeys and apes. Prosimians are the only primates native to...
species. Examples of species that can be categorized under this type of social organization include mouse lemur
Mouse lemur
The mouse lemurs are nocturnal lemurs of the genus Microcebus. Like all lemurs, mouse lemurs are native to Madagascar.Mouse lemurs have a combined head, body and tail length of less than , making them the smallest primates ; however, their weight fluctuates in response to daylight duration.Mouse...
s, loris
Loris
Loris is the common name for the strepsirrhine primates of the subfamily Lorisinae in family Lorisidae. Loris is one genus in this subfamily and includes the slender lorises, while Nycticebus is the genus for the slow lorises....
es, and orangutan
Orangutan
Orangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
s.