The word monogamy comes from Greek through a combination of monos (one) and gamos (marriage). Monogamy is a unique phenomenon which happens almost nowhere else in the animal kingdom. When we compare the numbers, 15% of all primate species practice monogamy as opposed to just 5% of mammals as a whole, we can see that we, primates, are special.
A primate is a mammal of the order primates, meaning "prime, first rank" in Latin. Primates descended from ancestors who lived in the trees, which is why we can swing our arms over our heads. We are special in that no other animal has fingerprints. Primates also have an increased lifespan and have a long period of growth. Most intriguingly though, all primates have a tendency to live in long lasting groups. This is why anthropologists study our close cousins, such as chimpanzees; in an attempt to understand more about humans!
The following monogamous primates (not including humans) are as listed : titi monkey, night monkey, callitrichids, langur/mentawi island leaf monkey, gibbon, prosimian.
Scientists think that because the babies of primates need to be cared for by someone other than the mother this provides the selective pressure for high male involvement and thus a monogamous relationship. There is clear evidence, for example, that infant survival and interbirth intervals (time between births) are related to the amount of help the mother receives.
However, in some species of primates, males do not directly care for the babies but still mate exclusively with one female. Scientists' explain this through this hypothesis: Since females are spaced out for ecological reasons (eg. high food competition), the males are constrained to a monogamous relationship because they cannot defend a territory larger than that of one female's range.
One other exception exists, it is when males have the capacity to defend a territory larger than one female's range. Scientists calculate this by using this equation:
Amax= 0.25 π d^2
Where Amax is the maximum area a male can defend and d is the length of his day's journey. This equation was formed under the criteria that each male must be able to traverse to certain key locations regularly enough to evict invaders of his territory.
Through this equation, species such as the Homo Agilis were found to have the capacity to copulate exclusively with as many as 5 females. But in practice, no such thing was observed. Scientists attribute this to the need to protect young from infanticide by other males. Infanticide is advantageous to males because it puts the female back in the estrous cycle so that they may have babies with her.
By: Michael Tang
A primate is a mammal of the order primates, meaning "prime, first rank" in Latin. Primates descended from ancestors who lived in the trees, which is why we can swing our arms over our heads. We are special in that no other animal has fingerprints. Primates also have an increased lifespan and have a long period of growth. Most intriguingly though, all primates have a tendency to live in long lasting groups. This is why anthropologists study our close cousins, such as chimpanzees; in an attempt to understand more about humans!
The following monogamous primates (not including humans) are as listed : titi monkey, night monkey, callitrichids, langur/mentawi island leaf monkey, gibbon, prosimian.
Scientists think that because the babies of primates need to be cared for by someone other than the mother this provides the selective pressure for high male involvement and thus a monogamous relationship. There is clear evidence, for example, that infant survival and interbirth intervals (time between births) are related to the amount of help the mother receives.
However, in some species of primates, males do not directly care for the babies but still mate exclusively with one female. Scientists' explain this through this hypothesis: Since females are spaced out for ecological reasons (eg. high food competition), the males are constrained to a monogamous relationship because they cannot defend a territory larger than that of one female's range.
One other exception exists, it is when males have the capacity to defend a territory larger than one female's range. Scientists calculate this by using this equation:
Amax= 0.25 π d^2
Where Amax is the maximum area a male can defend and d is the length of his day's journey. This equation was formed under the criteria that each male must be able to traverse to certain key locations regularly enough to evict invaders of his territory.
Through this equation, species such as the Homo Agilis were found to have the capacity to copulate exclusively with as many as 5 females. But in practice, no such thing was observed. Scientists attribute this to the need to protect young from infanticide by other males. Infanticide is advantageous to males because it puts the female back in the estrous cycle so that they may have babies with her.
By: Michael Tang