Re‐Evaluating Primate Monogamy

Abstract

Researchers propose hypotheses for the occurrence of monogamy as a social system in primates based on the assumption that there are a group of primates, including humans, which live exclusively in “nuclear families” and share a similar set of social behaviors. Examining the primates purported to be “monogamous” reveals that they cover a wide range of grouping types, mating patterns, taxonomic groups, and evolutionary grades. While there are a few primate species that do live in small, two‐adult groups and share a similar set of social behaviors, the vast majority of the supposed “monogamous” primates, including humans, do not. [monogamy, social systems, evolution, variability in social organization]