Paul Souders/Getty ImagesThe lonely George, the last turtle on Pinta, passed away in 2012 and left no descendants. His loneliness was imposed on him by humans who killed the rest of his species, took goats to his island in the Galapagos, and destroyed their habitat. But the lonely George probably didn’t really care about being himself. Turtles are generally lonely and gather only to mate. The same applies to most reptiles and even many mammals such as bears, moose, tigers, sloths, canopies, rhinoceros, rhinoceros, rhinoceros and pangolins.
As our own social creatures, it is natural that we are fascinated by animal society, from wolves packs to ant colonies. However, in order to understand sociality, we must look at the inside out. Why do some animals prefer to go it alone? Surprisingly, researchers pay little attention to this question. “People are only interested in the lives of groups with complex societies.” Carsten Schradin At the Hubert Curian Pleurididi Clajour Institute in Strasbourg, France. “But in many cases, if you don’t understand why lonely life is a better solution, you’re also missing out on a full understanding of group life.”
Currently, Shuradin and a few pioneering biologists are working on this surveillance. Already, their research reveals that being alone is not merely a lifestyle of mammalian ancestors, but an evolved strategy, a professional way of life with its own strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, animals considered lonely are not necessarily antisocial. Many of them can see that they constitute social networks, even if they spend most of their time on their own. These creatures give us a new perspective…
Source: www.newscientist.com