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Bachelor herd

 

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Bachelor herd


 
 

A bachelor herds is a gathering of (usually) juvenile male animals who are still sexually immature, or of 'harem'-forming animals who have been thrown out of their parent groups but not yet formed a new family group.

Examples include seals, dolphinFacts About Dolphin

Dolphins are highly intelligent aquatic mammals closely related to whales and porpoises....
s, lionLion

The lion is a mammal of the family Felidae and one of four "big cats" in the genus Panthera....
s, and many herbivoreHerbivore

Herbivore is often defined as any organism that eats only plants....
s such as deerDeer

A deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae....
 and horseHorse

The horse is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus....
s. Bachelor herds are thought to provide useful protection for social animals against more established herd competition or aggressive dominant males. Males in bachelor herds are sometimes closely related to each other.

In many species, males and females move in separate groups, often coming together at mating time, or to fight for territory or mating partners. In many species it is common for males to leave or be driven from the group as they mature, and they may wander as lone animals or form a bachelor group for the time being. This arrangement may be long term and stable, or short term until they find a new group to join.

See also

  • HerdHerd

    A herd is a large group of animals....