Worlds Oldest Profession?

[RMNIXON]

Female chimpanzees 'sell' sex for fruit


By Auslan Cramb, Scottish Correspondent

Last Updated: 4:01pm BST 11/09/2007

Female chimpanzees are "selling" sex to the males that gather the most fruit, according to new research.

Behavioural psychologists found that female chimps mate with the males that give them the most fruit, while male chimps steal "desirable" fruits such as papaya from farms and orchards in a bid to woo potential mates.

Oranges, pineapples and maize are among the most sought after crops, with bananas proving far less popular.

The scientists also discovered that the chimp that gathered the most fruit in the "food-for-sex" trade received more grooming from females than the group's alpha male.

Researchers from Stirling University released their findings after studying the behaviour of chimps in the West African village of Bossou in the Republic of Guinea.

Dr Kimberley Hockings said the findings provided the first evidence of large-scale plant food sharing among chimpanzees with a sexual motive.

Male chimps were also said to be most likely to give food to a female that took part in the most "consortships", where an adult female and male move to the edge of the community where the male enjoys exclusive mating access.

Dr Hockings added: "It is unusual behaviour as even though the major part of chimpanzees' diets consists of plant foods, wild plant food sharing occurs infrequently.

"The male who shared the most food engaged in more consortships and received more grooming than the other males, even the alpha male.
"Therefore the male chimpanzees appear to be 'showing off' and trading their forbidden fruit for other currencies, for example 'food-for-sex' and 'food-for-grooming'.

"In humans, the pursuit of certain foods is also strongly sex-biased. For example, it has been proposed that men in hunter-gatherer societies acquire large and risky-to-obtain food packages to garner attention.

"This research shows that chimpanzees at Bossou use crop-raiding as an opportunity to obtain and share desirable foods, providing further insights into the evolutionary basis of human food sharing."

The wild chimpanzee population has declined by more than two-thirds over the last 30 years, with around 200,000 left in the wild.
Chimpanzee habitats have suffered from deforestation, while poaching, disease and capture for the pet trade have also contributed to a drop in numbers.

The group's findings, following research by scientists from Stirling and from universities in England, Portugal, the USA and Japan, are published in the online jounral PLoS One from the Public Library of Science.


Female chimpanzees 'sell' sex for fruit - Telegraph


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Talk about an Evolution Update!

Think about this next time you buy dinner!

[DosEquis]

I was going to say "Pimpin" and a too short album would have filled you in on that one.

[DosEquis]

In humans, the pursuit of certain foods is also strongly sex-biased. For example, it has been proposed that men in hunter-gatherer societies acquire large and risky-to-obtain food packages to garner attention.

So is that like when you go to a fancy place to eat?

[Ardentfrost]

Originally Posted by DosEquis

So is that like when you go to a fancy place to eat?

dropping a cent on a meal does loosen a lady's nethers.