The 3.6 million-year-old footprints that reveal how our ancient male ancestors had more than one mate at a time

Wife, daughters, mother.

Well said! It's not exactly a scientific conclusion as you can't tell age or DNA from a footprint in stone!

Because harems are prevalent throughout the animal kingdom. It's reasonable assumption to make, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's right. If you want an impartial view on the subject, might I suggest you go and read something a little more reputable than the DM? Perhaps you could read the article in on the Nat Geo website, where the suggestion that these prints were left by one gorilla-like group are fairly roundly denounced...

In mammal species that exhibit significant sexual dimorphism where the males are much larger than the females the males tend to have harems as is the case with gorillas. If the interpretation of these footprints is correct and the males of this species were much larger than the females then it is a safe bet that they had harems. This is the point that you appear to have missed @enoon this assumption is based solely on the size difference between the sexes, it doesn't matter how these specific individuals may have been related to each other.

Agreed,because it's a massive assumption,to say they know the ins and outs,so to speak,of their actually sexual activity.

The people who make these determinations are experts in the field of archaeology. They have years of experience studying the history of the human being. Their conclusions are based on knowledge the average DM reader wouldn't and couldn't comprehend thus all of the i.gnorant comments on this story. These archaeologists know way more than all of you i.diots.

It still works out better for men on average. Polygamous societies tend to be more backward than monogamous ones.