Bachelor herd

Some animals, for example New Zealand fur seals, live in a bachelor herd all year except for the mating season, when there is a substantial increase in aggression and competition.

The social structure, aggression level, population size, and duration of presence of these herds across species varies greatly.

Male impala form small bachelor herds during both the wet and dry seasons.

[1] Males will then join a bachelor herd, though this results in them occupying a social dominance status at the bottom of the linear rank hierarchy until their physical condition returns to pre-territorial levels.

These males maintain, on average, a relatively large distance of approximately 2.5–3 metres (8.2–9.8 ft) between them.

[7] Male fur seals, as a family, commonly live in bachelor herds during the non-breeding season.

[3] These bachelor herds are large in size, ranging from 15,000 to more than 20,000 seals living in one area, referred to as a rookery.

[2] There appears to be no rigid social structure during the non-breeding season and there is little competition for food or mates.

There are few regulations in regard to adult male seal hunting due to limited effects on the future population.

[14] This is called the “rutting season” and it lasts only a few weeks before males and females separate into their respective herds.