| Solitary |
Living alone, not gregarious (Thompson, 1995). |
| Solitary (non-territorial) |
Solitary with no defined territory. |
| Solitary (territorial) |
Solitary but with a defined territory |
| Gregarious |
Living in groups or communities or growing in clusters (Thompson, 1995); where the organisms actively seek out members of the same species as adults, juveniles or larvae for protection from the environment or predators, or for breeding. |
| Colonial (e.g. sea birds) |
Living in large colonies of individuals - in the same area from season to season - usually for breeding purposes. |
| Social group |
Cooperative groups of the same species e.g., social insects, packs of mammals etc. |
| Small social group (tribe, pride, pack, or pod) |
Small groups of individuals that work together for mutual benefit, often held together by familial (matriarchal or patriarchal) bonds, e.g. a pack of wolves, a pod of dolphins, a pride or lions, a tribe of humans. |
| Large social group (insect colonies) |
Large colonies of individuals cooperating for mutual benefit, made up of thousands or more individuals, often with a dominant matriarch, e.g. social insects, bees, ants, termites etc. |
