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Consciously uncoupling: what drives the rates of animal divorce?

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84% Informative

In mammals, social monogamy has been observed in less than 10% of mammal species.

Among birds, the poster child for monogamy is the wandering albatross, which can live up to 50 years and usually mates for life.

Australian birds tend to divorce less than European species, says Prof Simon Griffith .

Short-lived species, in contrast, might be more ready to ditch their partner to maximise breeding opportunities.

Other factors that might drive animals to divorce what scientists call mate switching include a high mortality rate and a skewed sex ratio.

Research is also emerging that the climate crisis may also play a role in divorce.