8
Chimp 'Prostitutes' Trade Sex for Meat
Male chimps who shared hunt spoils had twice as many partners
By Rob Quinn
|
Posted Apr 8, 09 8:25 AM CDT
|
Share
(Newser)
–
Male chimps who get lucky hunting are a lot likelier to get lucky with female chimps if they share the spoils, a new study finds. Researchers tracked a band of chimps in the wild and found that while all were promiscuous, male hunters who shared meat—generally a rare treat for chimps—with females had twice as many partners, the Independent reports.
"Males who shared meat with females doubled their mating success," a researcher said, "whereas females, who had difficulty obtaining meat on their own, increased their calorific intake without the energetic costs and potential risk of injury related to hunting."