Overview
- The analysis estimates humans at a 66% monogamy rating, placing us near beavers (about 73%) and above meerkats (about 60%).
- Researchers ranked humans seventh among 11 socially monogamous species using sibling proportions in a computational model, with results published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
- Genetic datasets span 103 human populations, including Neolithic Anatolia and Bronze Age Europe, alongside data for 34 other mammal species.
- Closely related primates score very low in this framework, with chimpanzees around 4% and mountain gorillas about 6%, highlighting a clear gap.
- The metric captures reproductive outcomes rather than sexual behavior, and the authors caution that cultural practices and contraception can weaken the link between mating and births; the top-ranked California deermouse’s perfect score may reflect limited sampling.