Some solitary mammals have surprisingly social lives: what I’ve learned from a tiny South African rodent

By Lindelani Makuya, PhD candidate, University of the Witwatersrand

We probably all know someone who lives a solitary life. But not everyone realises that there are solitary individuals in the animal kingdom, too. Examples of solitary species are some shrews, and large predators, such as black bears (Ursus americanus) and leopards (Panthera pardus).

Solitary living is defined by the social organisation of individuals, where both males and females sleep and forage alone for more than…

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