Tons or alone

MIA CASSANY

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TÀNIA GARCIA

Animales que viven solos o en grandes grupos

Hippos The case of hippos is peculiar because they aren’t sociable, but they still live in big groups. That is to say they don’t need one another to get food or they aren’t organised to protect the group.

Each individual lives independently but surrounded by others of the same species.

The only interactions within the group are between mums and babies.

Scientists have conducted research on these groups since it is odd that they suddenly appear in nature without an obvious reason. So far, the general opinion is that hippos live in group to keep each other company since living in groups isn’t disadvantageous for them.

Rhinoceros Rhinoceros are rather solitary and show territorial behaviour. Most of the time in the animal kingdom these two concepts are closely related. Animals that are distrustful and are always alert not to receive intruders in what they consider their home are usually not willing to live together with other animals, even from the same species. Most animals don’t live in communities or groups because they enjoy it but because they need it. They may have predators watching —and lots of eyes can see more than two—, or because they can’t hunt alone, but none of these reasons apply to the rhino. They are herbivores and they don’t have to hunt, and they have one of the most robust and imposing bodies in the planet, so they don’t have to worry about predators. From the five species of rhino alive, the white rhino is slightly more sociable. However, all of them are extremely solitary and, surprisingly enough, they react with aggressivity if any animal gets closer to them, unless they are their calves.

Flamingos The stands are groups that range from fifty to twenty thousand individuals, and in Africa there are stands of over a million flamingos! The size of the group depends on the space they have so if there isn’t limitation of space, the group will surely grow. Not all the flamingos in a stand are related between them, but there are some sub-groups within the big group. Stand are well-organised and they have a leader, who constantly bends its neck backwards to show its supremacy and power. A fun fact of flamingos is that they move together, they walk one right next to the other and at the same speed and in the same direction… not an easy walk to coordinate when there are hundreds of them! The leader is the one in charge of deciding when the march starts, as well as when they take flight. Apart from this kind of dance that they share when walking, flamingos are quite friendly and they often greet each other by touching each other’s wings.

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Algunos animales necesitan vivir en grandes grupos, aunque a otros les basta con encontrarse muy de vez en cuando con los de su misma especie. ¿Por qué?

Unos no solo buscan compañía para asegurar su alimentación y protegerse de los depredadores, sino que disfrutan jugando.

Pero también hemos encontrado alguna especie que, viviendo en grupo, no se relaciona con los individuos que le rodean. ¿Los animales más inteligentes de la Tierra viven en grupo o prefieren pasar la vida solos?

Parece que esto de vivir aislado o vivir en compañía es un poco más complicado, interesante y diver tido de lo que parece a primera vista, aunque vivir solo, lo que se dice solo, no es posible.

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