TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2013//
TI  - The evolution of social monogamy in mammals
JO  - Science
A1  - Lukas, D.
A1  - Clutton-Brock, T. H.
SP  - 526
EP  - 530
VL  - 341
IS  - 6145
N2  - The evolution of social monogamy has intrigued biologists for over a century. Here, we show that the ancestral condition for all mammalian groups is of solitary individuals and that social monogamy is derived almost exclusively from this social system. The evolution of social monogamy does not appear to have been associated with a high risk of male infanticide, and paternal care is a consequence rather than a cause of social monogamy. Social monogamy has evolved in nonhuman mammals where breeding females are intolerant of each other and female density is low, suggesting that it represents a mating strategy that has developed where males are unable to defend access to multiple females.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0036-8075
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1238677
ID  - ref1
ER  -