Rosie Woodroffe is at the Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, UK NW1 4RY.
Trends Ecol Evol. 1994 Aug;9(8):294-7. doi: 10.1016/0169-5347(94)90033-7.
Over the past 20 years, long-term studies have shown that mammalian fathers, brothers and even unrelated males may contribute substantially to the care of the young. Recently, more field studies of mammals with male care have further expanded interest in male care potential. Male mammals can never be sole care-givers because offspring depend on maternal milk, but assistance provided by males may allow females to produce more energetically costly litters. The need for such male care contributes to the development of obligate social monogamy or communal breeding.
在过去的 20 年中，长期研究表明，哺乳动物的父亲、兄弟甚至与幼崽没有血缘关系的雄性个体都可能会为幼崽提供大量的照顾。最近，对雄性照顾哺乳动物的更多野外研究进一步扩大了对雄性照顾潜力的关注。雄性哺乳动物永远不可能是唯一的照顾者，因为幼崽依赖于母乳，但雄性提供的帮助可能会使雌性产生更多能量成本更高的后代。这种对雄性照顾的需求促进了强制性社会一夫一妻制或群居繁殖的发展。
