Alpha: males and females

In the animal kingdom, mating is a complicated affair. Lionshave a dominant male which has all the mating rights in the pride. All the females belong to him and he mates with them as they come in heat. He is the strongest and the biggest and he gets to spread his superior genes. This is good for him but not so much for the other males who have very little chance of having their own harem of females. Fortunately for them, constant copulation is a big drain on the energies of the dominant male especially if he has a big number of females to service. He cannot really stay on top for very long.

This system works well for the species but if you consider the individual it is not so good for him. Take the case of wolves or dogs. Only one male and female can breed. Every dog or wolf in the pack is really their offspring. This would ensure that no inbreeding that would weaken the genetic pool occurs. Maturing males may have to leave the pack to search for his own. There are cases when animals pair off and mate for life as is usual in the case of birds. This might be explained in that birds lay eggs and eggs need to be incubated. So it would be natural to have a permanent mate who could look for food while one sits on the eggs and when the eggs hatch to take turns feeding the hatchlings and protecting the nest.