Abstract
Field studies over the past 30 years have shown that orangutans lead predominately solitary lives within a loosely structured, highly dispersed, social system (Davenport, 1967; Galdikas, 1978, 1982, 1985; Harrisson, 1962; Horr, 1977; MacKinnon, 1974; Rijksen, 1978; Rodman, 1973; Schaller, 1961; Schürmann, 1981). The first basic population unit of this system is the adult female with a single infant, often accompanied by a juvenile/adolescent daughter. Each of these adult female units occupies a home range which overlaps on the periphery with the home ranges of other adult females, but with a core range used only by that female unit. The second basic population unit, the solitary adult male, is either resident in a particular area, occupying a very large range which cuts through the home ranges of several adult females, or is nomadic. The nomadic adult male is likely to be a younger male lacking the opportunity to establish a home range. Independent immature orangutans are relatively sociable, forming temporary associations and establishing dominance hierarchies before becoming solitary adults.
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Markham, R. (1995). Doing It Naturally. In: Nadler, R.D., Galdikas, B.F.M., Sheeran, L.K., Rosen, N. (eds) The Neglected Ape. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1091-2_26
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1091-2_26
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