Scientists in the UK claim to be able to soon explain the evolutionary reason behind monogamy with two new studies that came out on Monday. In a study by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by British and New Zealand researches involving some 230 different species of primates - from monkeys to apes - it's the risk of infanticide by rival males that seemed to be driving force that leads to monogamous relationships i.e. daddy needs to be around to protect the tots. Strangely paternal care evolved after monogamy and was more of a consequence rather than a cause of monogamy said University of Cambridge zoologist Dieter Lukas. He continued by saying that once it does evolve, it provides a clear benefit to the female.

According to the researchers from University College London, the University of Manchester, Oxford University, and the University of Auckland, females try to delay having more babies while they're still in the throes of tending to a slowly developing infant. Rival males, then, try to kill the baby to induce the mother to conceive again, with them. Also, once a monogamous system is established, it is rare for it to break down completely.

For human beings, monogamy gave the additional advantage of children being reared by two parents therefore enabling faster brain development. Ergo, want intelligent children, curb that wandering eye!

Another theory propounds that men stuck around to help raise children, as human children take a great deal of energy to rear to adulthood. This second study by University of Cambridge researchers in Science used a different method to come to their conclusion that monogamy appeared as a result of competition. Tim Clutton-Brock, from the Department of Zoology , University of Cambridge stated that when females are widely dispersed, the best strategy for a male is to stick with one female and defend her to make sure that he sires all her offsprings.

Researchers at Cambridge classified some 2,500 mammalian species as solitary, socially monogamous or group living and they found monogamy tended to appear in species where food sources were spread out. When an animal has to go far and forage for food, they tend to come back to the same, er gal. But this study did not include any humans in their analysis so there - long-distant romances can then actually exist! And human beings can be monogamous no matter what the temptation.

Need some inspiration from the animal world? Try gibbons, swans, turtle doves, French angelfish, wolves and the Posh & Becks!