Shaka[Zulu] wrote:
that is true to an extent... for some unfathomable evolutionary reason, we are shackled down with an incredibly long adolescence, but the dependence of our kids is about the same as that for other primates.
Not at all. Our abnormally large brain case coupled with bipedalism has led to a conflict between the baby's skull and the mother's pelvis. Unlike all other primates, human neonates have an unfused soft skull - whcih continues to grow after birth.
IIRC none of the other primates exhibit the level of bi-parental care that we do. In fact in most cultures today, males really dont take an active part in rearing kids until after they can walk, and need to start learning... the really dependent stages of childhood are typically left entirely to the women. Now, before that statement gets me in trouble, let me say that it is an observation, and nothing more, given that I have traveled quite extensively (while most of it has been in Africa & Europe).
As I've said in another thread, I believe, bi parental care does not need to be provided by the biological parents - in some cultures (such as the Hadza, I believe, but memory like a sieve, don't quote me) the maternal grandmother/ aunt/ friend of the family provides the other support.
BUT in our current society, if it is not supplied by the father (read: partner of the mother), generally parental care is single parent only.
The BoP analogy breaks down with us because such birds have to adapt their rearing habits to allow for the fact that their principal mode of transport is extremely weight limited -- they can only carry so much meat at a time. combined with the fact that they typically have to raise clutches of young -- almost never a single chick -- you can see that both parents are necessary to provide for all the young's needs (food, shelter & security from other predators) .
I apologise about the bird of prey analysis, perhaps songbirds would be better, as we're not a naturally monogamous species (NO! We're not!) With songbirds, biparental care is provided, but EPCs mean that fathers can either avoid raising some of their own chicks or end up raising some other man's. Partner choice on behalf of the female is separate to mate choice.
Polygyny can only really work if the women all participate in raising all the children between them.
Polygyandry, which might well be the natural condition for humans, requires the same amount of cooperation, but between members of each sex.
Polyandry does not have much evolutionary advantage, anyway.
