Examples of animals that are loners and live a solitary lifestyle include anteaters, frogs, pandas, badgers, and koalas.
Animals that are loners, or solitary by nature, and have a different lifestyle than animals that live in groups.
Some animals live alone, but only because they choose to. There are some loners out there who prefer to go it on their own.
We all know that lions live in pride and other social animals like dolphins swim together. But what about the reclusive ones?
Examples of Animals that Are Loners
1. Anteaters
| Scientific Name | Vermilingua |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Central and South America except for Guatemala |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Anteaters – like the aardvark – are solitary animals that enjoy their privacy and aren’t seen in groups at all. They eat ants and termites all day long, but they do it alone.
Anteaters use their sharp claws to tear open anthills before using their very sensitive tongues to lap up as many insects as possible. The anteater may look cumbersome, but it can actually run pretty fast.
2. Armadillos
| Scientific Name | Dasypodidae |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Central and South America |
| Diet | Omnivore |
They are not social creatures and typically only interact with one another during mating season. They often live in burrows that they dig themselves.
When an armadillo is threatened, it will curl up into a ball for protection.
3. Black Rhino
| Scientific Name | Diceros bicornis |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Kenya down to South Africa |
| Diet | Herbivore |
Black Rhino are loners and live a solitary lifestyle. They are naturally shy animals, especially when it comes to other rhinos. They prefer their own company and only come together with others of the same species for mating purposes.
4. Cats
| Scientific Name | Felis catus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Worldwide |
| Diet | Carnivore |
A cat is a good example of an animal that is a loner. Cats are self-sufficient and independent, with the ability to care for themselves alone.
They don’t need humans in order to survive. A person might have one or multiple cats as pets, but they usually only come into contact with each other when feeding them or playing with them.
5. Chuckwalla Lizard
| Scientific Name | Sauromalus |
| Type of Animal | Reptile |
| Range | southeastern California |
| Diet | Herbivore |
Their diet consists of small animals like insects and lizards. They live in deserts which makes it difficult to find food, so by living alone they don’t have to compete for resources with other Chuckwalla Lizard.
6. Common Frogs
| Scientific Name | Rana temporaria |
| Type of Animal | Reptile |
| Range | Europe |
| Diet | Omnivore |
The common frog is a loner. There is an exception to this rule for female frogs that lay eggs in large groups during the mating season, but other than that they prefer to be by themselves.
7. Desert Tortoise
| Scientific Name | Gopherus agassizii |
| Type of Animal | Reptile |
| Range | Mojave and Sonoran deserts north and west of the Colorado River |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Loners are animals that live on their own or in very small groups. A loner will not have many social interactions with other members of the same species if any at all.
The desert tortoise is one such animal that prefers to be alone
8. Fox
| Scientific Name | Vulpes vulpes |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Worldwide |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Another loner animal is the fox, which lives alone in dens. They are also solitary creatures and only come together during mating season, while they otherwise live on their own to avoid contact with other animals.
This can be beneficial for humans though because these animals don’t need people in order to survive, minimizing human contact.
9. Giant Panda
| Scientific Name | Ailuropoda melanoleuca |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | southwest China |
| Diet | Herbivore |
These animals are one of the few bear species that do not live in a community. Giant pandas also rarely interact with one another, except for when it is time to mate.
10. Hawaiian Monk Seal
| Scientific Name | Monachus schauinslandi |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Northwestern Hawaiian Islands |
| Diet | Omnivore |
They don’t like to be in a group and can travel long distances by themselves.
They may live alone, but they do have the option of mating with other Hawaiian Monk Seals when conditions are right.
It is common for them to stay together only until the pup is weaned, at which time both males and females leave it behind (they do not form pair bonds).
11. Honey Badger
| Scientific Name | Mellivora capensis |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and western Asia |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Honey badgers are known for their aggressiveness and live a life of freedom, generally preferring to hunt and range on their own when they aren’t sitting in their burrows
12. Koalas
| Scientific Name | Phascolarctos cinereus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Australia |
| Diet | Herbivore |
Koalas live alone and prefer it that way. It is a very solitary animal with a unique tree-gripping technique used during feeding, climbing, sitting, or resting positions. Koala lives an average life span of 13 years but some have been known to live up to 18 years.
13. Leopards
| Scientific Name | Panthera pardus |
| Type of Animal | Reptile |
| Range | sub-Saharan Africa |
| Diet | Carnivore |
Leopards are solitary animals. They live alone and mark their territory with urine or feces to keep other leopards away from them.
If they are in the same area as another leopard, they will avoid contact by hiding out of sight until it is gone. Leopards only come together when breeding season starts.
14. Lionfish
| Scientific Name | Pterois |
| Type of Animal | Fish |
| Range | South Pacific and Indian Oceans |
| Diet | Carnivore |
In the ocean, there are animals that live alone as well. The lionfish live a solitary life and do not have any friends or partners to spend time with. In fact, it is rarely seen in groups of two lionfish together because these cetaceans prefer being on their own.
15. Moles
| Scientific Name | Talpidae |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Worldwide |
| Diet | Carnivore |
Moles are solitary creatures that are rather intolerant of intruders. There’s only room for one person in their elaborate networks of tunnels, no matter how extensive their systems of passageways may be.
16. Moose
| Scientific Name | Alces alces |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | North America, Europe, and Russia |
| Diet | Herbivore |
Moose are solitary animals that live in the northern regions of Canada and Alaska. They need a lot to eat, so they will often wander off alone or with one other moose to find enough food for themselves.
17. Orangutans
| Scientific Name | Pongo |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Southeast Asian islands of Borneo and Sumatra |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Orangutans are solitary animals and adults don’t often interact with each other. They live in dense jungles and forests, spending a lot of time high up in the trees where they rest.
The only time they will interact with others is when it’s time to mate.
18. Platypuses
| Scientific Name | Ornithorhynchus anatinus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | eastern Australia |
| Diet | Carnivore |
Platypuses, as solitary creatures, spend almost the entire duration of their life maintaining a distance from all others, though their territories do occasionally overlap.
This is not due to the presence of undescribed social behavior, however. They do not groom each other or play together.
Rather than spending time with one another, they spend their entire lives alone hunting for food and swimming in rivers all day long.
Platypus is so dedicated to their solitude that even when mating season rolls around (June through October), they still go about their business alone.
19. Polar Bears
| Scientific Name | Ursus maritimus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Arctic |
| Diet | Carnivore |
Polar Bears are solitary animals. This means they don’t like to be around other polar bears. The only time that a polar bear will spend with another is when there are cubs or if the female is protecting her young from predators.
20. Red Pandas
| Scientific Name | Ailurus fulgens |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Eastern Himalayas |
| Diet | Herbivore |
Red pandas are notoriously shy, choosing a life of solitude over companionship, except, of course, when is mating season.
During mating season, the male red panda is extremely active, but once he has mated with several females and impregnated them all, he loses interest.
21. Sandpipers
| Scientific Name | Scolopacidae |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Europe and Asia |
| Diet | Carnivore |
The majority of sandpiper species travel in flocks, but solitary sandpipers take a somewhat different approach.
They make do with being alone when seeking an area to lay their eggs by borrowing nests from other birds.
22. Sea Turtles
| Scientific Name | Chelonioidea |
| Type of Animal | Reptile |
| Range | Coral Triangle |
| Diet | Herbivore |
They are sometimes referred to as “sea hermits” because they spend so much time alone.
Although sea turtles can live in groups, most of them prefer solitude and will avoid contact with other turtles unless it is mating season.
These animals get together in groups during mating and nesting seasons, but they are generally alone.
23. Skunks
| Scientific Name | Mephitidae |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | United States, Canada, South America, and Mexico |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Skunks are solitary animals. They usually only come together to mate. Skunks often create their own dens and holes in the ground so they can sleep or give birth during the winter months.
24. Sloths
| Scientific Name | Folivora |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Central and South America |
| Diet | Herbivore |
They spend most of their time alone, especially during mating season. When they’re not sleeping or eating, sloths are moving around so slowly that it’s almost hard to see.
As a result, there isn’t much need for them to interact with others on a regular basis.
25. Tasmanian Devils
| Scientific Name | Sarcophilus harrisii |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Tasmania |
| Diet | Carnivore |
Tasmanian devils are solitary animals. They spend most of their time alone to avoid conflicts with other Tasmanian Devils.
Although they start off as cute little furballs, when they become adults it is very stressful if too many live in one area together. This can cause fights which result in deaths and injuries due to the sharp teeth that these creatures have.
26. Tigers
| Scientific Name | Panthera tigris |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Southwest Asia to the Indonesian island of Sumatra |
| Diet | Carnivore |
They are loners. But, if they do come together it is for an important reason like hunting, mating, or protecting their territory from other tigers.
27. Wolves
| Scientific Name | Canis lupus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | North America, Europe, Asia and North Africa |
| Diet | Carnivore |
While most wolves live in packs, many lone wolves also exist. Lone wolves are wolves that are outcast from their packs. They spend their lives hunting alone.
But even wolves who live in packs aren’t as social as you would think. They live in packs of around six members, but the majority of their day is spent alone or with a mate and offspring.
Hi, I’m Garreth. Living in South Africa I’ve had the pleasure of seeing most of these animals up close and personal. When I was younger I always wanted to be a game ranger but unfortunately, life happens and now at least I get to write about them and tell you my experiences.