> I am more bear than human. I
> live alone and don't like people.
> The feeling is mutual.
> -------------------------------------------------http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19826592.700-all-alone.html
> All alone
> 04 June 2008
> From New Scientist Print Edition. Subscribe and get 4 free issues.
>
> Do polar bears get lonely? I'm not being flippant, just attempting to find out why animals such as humans or penguins are
> gregarious while others, such as polar bears and eagles, live more solitary lives.
>
> Having a gregarious or solitary nature are species-specific survival strategies adopted by different animals and birds. Big
> predatory mammals such as polar bears, grizzlies and tigers isolate themselves from one another to avoid competition with other
> members of their own species. By spreading out, they also expand their feeding grounds and breeding territories. If fellow species
> members come into close proximity there can be fierce competition for food, mates and territory. The same is true with many solitary
> species of birds, such as eagles and condors.
>
> These animals and birds usually pair up during the breeding season to reproduce, and separate soon after successful mating or when
> they have raised their young ones. In most cases, raising the young is the sole responsibility of females. Indeed, males of such
> species sometimes kill their young to increase their own reproductive success.
>
> Social animals, by contrast, find strength in numbers. Animals such as antelope on the African savannah or penguins in the Antarctic
> form big colonies, where they huddle together for warmth and to alert each other to a potential predator attack. In a large herd or
> colony, losses to predators are negligible compared with what they would be if the animals were in isolated groups.
>
> Between the solitary and social extremes are creatures like lions, wild dogs and wolves, which often hunt in groups and display
> differing degrees of social interaction and cooperation.
>
> A similar question can be asked about why some plants are gregarious while others are solitary. In one intriguing strategy, called
> allelopathy, gregarious plants secrete chemicals into the soil to reduce competition from related species that cannot survive the
> presence of these compounds. As with animals, these strategies have evolved to maximise the plants' chances of survival.
>
> Saikat Basu, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
>
> Bears and eagles rarely associate with their own kind because individuals need to defend their own feeding territories in which food
> is often scarce. Polar bears live in an environment where the food resources are too limited to sustain a large community, so it
> makes sense for them to be the only predator in this particular niche. When food is plentiful both bears and eagles will gather
> together with a reasonable degree of amity.
>
> The reverse is true for social animals, including humans. Social animals are often prey for other species, and cluster together for
> safety against predation - though this is only one of the reasons for group formation. But when food is scarce, individuals may
> break away from the group to find it.
>
> Whether an animal can feel anything resembling the loneliness humans feel is hard to say. However, highly social animals such as
> certain types of parrots seem to be adversely affected when kept alone. Some parrots will engage in bizarre behaviours and can
> self-mutilate. Some large parrots will even seem to go "insane" if subjected to long periods of isolation.
>
> On the other hand, certain animals that are by nature solitary hardly seem to be affected at all. Some fish, in particular some
> types of cichlids, will fight viciously with their own kind if more than one is kept in an aquarium. Guam rails, a kind of
> flightless bird, are notoriously intolerant of their own kind, which has obviously made breeding them in captivity very difficult.
>
> So the answer to the question is a qualified yes: some animals will feel "lonely" if they are by nature highly social. However, some
> will only engage with their own at specific times and in a highly ritualistic fashion, such as when mating or defending their
> territory.
>
> By email, no name or address supplied
>
> It depends on the bear and the circumstances. Loneliness is a reaction to deprivation of company when company is appropriate. In the
> case of polar bears, company usually represents competition or threat, so they do very well by themselves, thank you - unless you
> happen to be small enough to eat. In certain situations, when food and breeding are not relevant, males will wrestle harmlessly to
> establish dominance, thereby reducing the risks of dangerous fighting when mating time comes, but that is pretty much that.
>
> Cubs want their mother's company for food, protection and reassurance, and they want each other's company for socialisation, warmth
> and play. Females want the company of their cubs, but keep other adults (and cubs) at a distance. Once her cubs mature or die, a
> mother again becomes a loner until mating time, and then tolerates males only briefly. She has no reason to want any company beyond
> that.
>
> It is all part of the adaptation to their environment. In zoos, where security and food are no constraint, polar bears often seem
> happy to have the stimulus of company.
>
> Jon Richfield, Somerset West, South Africa
>
> From issue 2659 of New Scientist magazine, 04 June 2008, page 85