US EditionHow Monogamous Are Humans? A Study Ranks Us Between Meerkats and Beavers
Humans show a 66% full-sibling rate, ranking seventh in monogamy among 11 mammal species, reflecting diverse mating systems and strong parental investment patterns, Dr Dyble said.
- Dr Dyble's study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B found humans, sampled via Bronze Age burial grounds and Neolithic Anatolian sites, have a 66% full-sibling rate, ranking seventh of 11 socially monogamous species.
- Using datasets covering 103 human societies and 34 non-human mammal species, the team aimed to quantify monogamy and test the monogamy hypothesis linking it to cooperative society evolution.
- Species-Specific rates ranged from the California deermouse at 100% and African wild dog at 85% to the Soay sheep at 0.6% and mountain gorilla and common chimpanzee with low single-digit rates.
- The study's findings and limitations prompted mixed responses as Julia Schroeder said human monogamy clustering is unsurprising, Opie criticized comparisons to non-primate mammals, and Dr Dyble noted study limitations with self-reported human data.
- Cultural and methodological caveats mean cultural practices and birth control complicate interpreting social monogamy, and Dr Dyble urged further work using modern genetic datasets to explore why humans rank mid-table.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Humans Rank Between Meerkats and Beavers in the Monogamy “League Table”
Genetic evidence suggests humans are far more reproductively monogamous than most primates and resemble other socially monogamous mammals. Humans show levels of exclusive mating that are much closer to species such as meerkats and beavers than to most of our primate relatives, according to a new study from the University of Cambridge that ranks monogamy [...]
Humans Sit Between Meerkats and Beavers in Monogamy Rankings, Study Shows
Humans rank near meerkats and beavers in a global monogamy study. Credit: University of Cambridge / CC BY 4.0 A new study from the University of Cambridge places humans between meerkats and beavers when it comes to monogamous mating behavior. The research, which compares full- and half-sibling rates across 11 socially monogamous mammal species, found that humans have a 66 percent rate of full siblings—higher than meerkats but slightly lower than…
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