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Chimpanzees Exchange Meat For Sex

Posted by samzenpus on from the what-do-I-get-for-a-cheeseburger dept.

the_therapist writes "A team from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, studied chimps in the Tai Forest reserve in Ivory Coast and discovered that chimpanzees enter into 'deals' whereby they exchange meat for sex. Among the findings are that 'male chimps that are willing to share the proceeds of their hunting expeditions mate twice as often as their more selfish counterparts.' They also found this to be 'a long-term exchange, so males continue to share their catch with females when they are not fertile, copulating with them when they are.'"

6 of 313 comments (clear)

  1. Same behavior in humans too by grasshoppa · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We formulized it and called it marriage though.

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    1. Re:Same behavior in humans too by Jangchub · · Score: 4, Insightful

      +5 funny? That's robbery. +5 insightful.

    2. Re:Same behavior in humans too by PachmanP · · Score: 5, Insightful

      We formulized it and called it marriage though.

      Nah men formalized it and called it prostitution. Women started thinking about how to get more and put out less and that's how we got marriage.

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    3. Re:Same behavior in humans too by Gorobei · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Nah men formalized it and called it prostitution. Women started thinking about how to get more and put out less and that's how we got marriage.

      Actually, it was probably the other way around: men formalized marriage in an effort to stop women sleeping around. Stability of the tribe, and all that (alpha males still get to sleep around, beta males get a better chance of their kid actually being theirs, the rest have no illusions.)

      Sometimes I wish I could forget everything I've read on primate and avian mating patterns, it would make my life so much easier.

    4. Re:Same behavior in humans too by tverbeek · · Score: 4, Insightful

      ....and there is really only one reason to take a girl out on a date....

      Because otherwise it gets really boring at the restaurant waiting for your order to arrive?

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    5. Re:Same behavior in humans too by YttriumOxide · · Score: 5, Insightful

      and there is really only one reason to take a girl out on a date....

      It's comments like this that lend a strong argument as to why the stereotype of geeks never having girlfriends exists. Sex is great, and I enjoy it immensely, but I'd never consider it the "one reason" to be with a girl. It's great to share your thoughts with someone, have them share theirs with you; someone to laugh with, cry with; someone to look after you when you need it and give you the chance to look after them when they need it. My compatibility with a girl on ALL of these things is what I'm looking for when I go on a date with a girl, not just whether she'll put out at the end of the night.

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