Humans cuddle up to meerkats in the monogamy rankings

Helen BriggsEnvironment Correspondent

Getty A group of six meerkats stand on their hind legs and look at the camera. They have gray-brown fur, pointed noses, and piercing eyes. — Meerkats are incredibly social animals and live in large groups known as “mobs” or “clans”.

Humans are a bit like meerkats when it comes to mating, according to a study examining the monogamous lifestyles of different species.

In our romantic lives, we're more like these social, close-knit mongooses than our primate cousins, as a monogamy “scorecard” compiled by scientists suggests.

Humans, who are 66% monogamous, score surprisingly highly, far outperforming chimpanzees and gorillas and on par with meerkats.

However, we are far from the most monogamous creature. The first place is occupied by Californian mice – rodents that form inextricable bonds for life.

Chimpanzees are very social and form strong bonds, but their social structure is very different from humans.

Getty A baby chimpanzee clings to the back of its mother chimpanzee. She leans against the head and shoulders of another chimpanzee against a backdrop of green foliage. — Chimpanzees are very social and form strong bonds, but their social structure is very different from humans.

“There is a major league of monogamy in which humans sit comfortably, while the vast majority of other mammals take a much more promiscuous approach to mating,” said Dr Mark Dyble from the University of Cambridge.

In the animal kingdom, pairing has its benefits, which may be why it has evolved independently in many species, including us. Experts have suggested various benefits of so-called social monogamy, in which partners meet at least during the breeding season to care for their young and see off rivals.

Dr. Dyble studied several human populations throughout history, calculating the proportions of full siblings (in which people share the same mother and father) compared with half-siblings, people who have either a mother or a father, but not both. Similar data have been collected for more than 30 social monogamous and other mammals.

In humans, the monogamy rating is 66% of full siblings, ahead of meerkats (60%) but behind beavers (73%).

Meanwhile, our evolutionary relatives are at the bottom of the table, with mountain gorillas ranking at 6% and chimpanzees at just 4% (along with dolphins).

In last place is the Scottish Soay sheep, where females mate with multiple males, with 0.6% full siblings. The California mouse took first place with a score of 100%.

However, just because we are classified with meerkats and beavers does not mean that our societies are the same – human society is at different poles.

“Although the number of full siblings we see in humans is most similar to species such as meerkats or beavers, the social system we see in humans is very different,” Dr Dyble told BBC News.

“Most of these species live in social groups, similar to colonies, or perhaps live in solitary pairs that wander together. People are very different from them. We live in what are called groups of several men and women, within which we have these monogamous, or pair-bonded, units.”