Mating for Life Part 4: Why are Animals Monogamous?

• Why are animals monogamous?

As we’ve seen in previous posts (about birds, mammals and insects), monogamy is common in some parts of the animal kingdom and rare in others, but the way in which it is practised varies a great deal. But what are the advantages of being faithful to a mating partner? Generally speaking, it makes sense for animals to be promiscuous; mating with a lot of partners increases the chance of producing a large number of offspring as well as increasing the chance of having the opportunity to mate with the most desirable partner. However, monogamy does have some advantages, as demonstrated by many of the species we have already discussed.

Warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus) are promiscuous animals; the males wander around large areas, mating with any females they come across. They sacrifice selectivity for increased chances of producing young every breeding season. Photo…