LONDON, December 10. /TASS/. Humans rank seventh among monogamous mammals in terms of partner fidelity, behind beavers and tamarins, according to a scientific article by British evolutionary anthropologist Mark Dyble published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society.
To compile the ranking, the researcher used archaeological and ethnographic data from more than 100 human populations. Information on animal species was taken from previous studies. The article notes that such research is sparse on animals, so Dyble was only able to find data for 34 mammal species out of more than 6,000 known to science.
The monogamy index was calculated by measuring the proportion of full siblings (sharing both parents) within populations. Among humans, this indicator varied widely - from 26% in a Neolithic population in what is now Great Britain to 100% in a population from the same era in northern France. On average, Dyble estimated the figure for humans at 66%.
A species of mice native to California topped the ranking with 100%, followed by African wild dogs (85%) and Damaraland mole-rats (79.5%). Humans placed seventh, between beavers (72.9%) and lar gibbons (63.5%).
According to the author, the study gives credence to the "monogamy hypothesis." This theory argues that populations are more likely to achieve extremely high levels of internal cooperation when individuals reproduce in monogamous relationships and generate fully related offspring. Dyble notes that even slight deviations from monogamy can sharply reduce the number of full siblings: if extramarital pregnancies rise by 25%, the proportion of fully related offspring falls to 40%.
The scientist posited that monogamy, as "the dominant mating pattern for our species," has helped enable humans to build large, cooperative communities by allowing individuals to recognize close genetic relationships.