Monogamous Mammals
The mating habits of science’s favorite lab subjects might be more familiar than we think.
Story by James Chrisman Illustration by Paula Welling
W
hen thinking about rodents, monogamy might not be the first trait that comes to mind. However, their monogamy rate is 10 times higher than that of mammals as a whole—30 percent as opposed to 3, according to a study conducted by biologist Dr. Donald Miles and his collaborators. Miles and his research apprentice, junior HTC Biological Sciences major Genevieve Furtner, are trying to figure out why.
Miles has developed a hypothesis based on previous studies of rodent mating systems. His research has revealed a potential link between rodents’ life history traits and their mating systems. For example, a large animal might have a small litter size because it is expending most of its energy on growth and survival. The smaller litter size decreases the amount of offspring for the male—and with it the likelihood of his sperm being spread—which drives him to