Is it possible to draw up a ranking of the most monogamous animals in the world? Evidently yes, given that the University of Cambridge has just done so, as documented by a study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences.
This is an analysis of the degree of monogamy of different species of mammals which uses new criteria to calculate it, and which also made it possible to “give a vote” to the marital fidelity of each species. Including us humans: where do we fit in the ranking?
Brothers and half-siblings. So far, both our fossil record and field research have been used to study monogamy in the human species. In the case of animals, however, conclusions about their marital exclusivity are based on observations in nature and, in certain cases, on paternity tests that serve to clarify how a species’ mating system works. The method used by the University of Cambridge instead involves studying the ratio between siblings and half-siblings present in different species.
The logic is that more monogamous species tend to produce more “pure” siblings, who share both parents, while in more promiscuous species it is more common to find half-siblings. This logic was applied to a computer model that combines this data with genetic and behavioral studies of the species’ reproductive strategies, ultimately generating an “assessment” of their degree of monogamy.
Are we really monogamous? The results say that monogamy is not widespread among mammals, and we humans are among the few representatives of the category. Together with us there are meerkats and beavers, while in first place, with a monogamy rate of 100%, there is the rodent Peromyscus californicus. Most other mammals, including other primates (with the exception of gibbons), have a much more libertine approach to marital fidelity. These results seem to confirm what some scientists have long maintained, namely that monogamy is one of the bases for the development of social cooperation and therefore of human culture.
Reproductive monogamy. In reality the situation is more complex than that: 85% of pre-industrial societies, for example, allowed polygamy, and monogamy may be a relatively more recent “invention”. Not to mention that the study measures reproductive monogamy, not sexual behavior in general, and it is known that we humans have different methods for engaging in sex without worrying about having children…
