Tiger Woods May Have Cheated, but do Tigers?
A romp through the (monogamous) animal kingdom.
SAN DIEGO, April 8, 2010 — -- Sure, there's been a ton of tabloid coverage of the alleged infidelities of Tiger Woods and Jesse James, but only those two men know what they really did, and what their real motivations were. They damaged their marriages, reputations and careers.
Was it a much-debated sexual addiction? A series of bad choices? Or would they argue that it was, in part, nature?
That's not for us to decide, but one thing we can say: Tigers don't always cheat
In the animal kingdom, tigers often choose just one partner — though they hook up just a few days before consummating their union, mating as often as 150 times in a two-day period when the female is in heat.
We toured the Wild Animal Park at the famed San Diego Zoo to observe animal behavior first hand. We began with the monogamists.
Take the red-cheeked gibbons, apes that may swing from vines but not from mate to mate. They choose one lifelong partner and raise their young together.
The crowned crane is also among the animal kingdom's most faithful. It is revered in some Asian countries as a symbol of monogamy.
"For animals, all reproductive strategies are based on success, so for one particular species it might be monogamy; for another, it might be a polygamy situation," said Michael Mace, one of the park's curators.
This is where mammals come in. More than 90 percent of mammals tend to spread their charm with multiple mates over a lifetime The gorilla is among those leading the pack.
Dominant gorilla males will live and mate with 5-30 females. The male provides protection but to maintain his authority, he must also fend off competition.
Andrew Stallard, an animal care supervisor, said, "This one male gorilla, called a silverback, does all the breeding and protection of the territory during his tenure. Now, should another male come along, challenge him, and win, the existing dominant male is sent walking."
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