Does Monogamy Exist In Nature?

By and large, romantic accounts of animals “mating for life“ are romanticized and exaggerated. Very few mammals choose a single mate to stick with through thick and thin, and even those that do, such as gibbons, are liable to cheat on or leave their partner. Birds are often upheld as paragons of monogamy, but they too shatter the illusion of faithfulness if scrutinized. “Adultery“ is rampant among many bird species, as it ensures both genetic variety and more widespread dissemination of an individual’s genes.