Faithful voles have hidden infidelities

From Snowbird, Utah, at a meeting of the Animal Behavior Society

Prairie voles, the standard model for mammalian-monogamy studies, actually get around more than most scientists had expected.

Vole mating intrigues researchers because the various species of the hamster-size rodents show lifestyles ranging from nuclear families to single-mom-and-deadbeat-dad situations. Comparing species gives scientists a window on the biological basis of social bonds.