Kathy D. wrote:

> If we take our cue from our nonhuman primate
> relatives, the basic social unit among ALL primates is the adult female and
> her dependent offspring (who are dependent for many years, even long after
> they wean).  To this basic unit, one or more males may be attached at
> various points of time.

The female as the basic social unit extends to all social mammmals.  We
have nursery pods of whales, herds of equines that get a new male
occasionally but the female core remains, solitary bears giving birth
during hibernation to their cubs, prides of lions, sophisticated
elephant matriarchies, the list goes on and on.  The only example I can
think of that comes close to a mating-pair-as-central group are dogs.
The only class of animals that seems to have gotten the hang of the
bonded-pair thing are the birds.  So, I guess that makes that "expert's"
advice...(yep, I'm gonna say it)...for the birds!

regards,
Beth
who wishes she didn't feel like she was tilting at windmills quite so
often, in regards to this constant stream of idiots, I mean *experts*
--
Beth Johnson
Perinatal Educator
Springfield, MA USA

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