Sex and Theft in the Animal World

It is sometimes called the world's "oldest profession." But it seems prostitution, or at least a form of it, has found a niche in the animal world as well. Researchers from Stirling University have discovered that female chimpanzees appear to be "selling" sex to males who give them the most fruit. Especially popular with the chimp ladies is the papaya, which males must oftentimes steal from local orchards. Calling the research the first evidence of plant-food-sharing among chimps with a sexual motive, observers noted that "[t]he male who shared the most food engaged in more courtships and received more grooming than the other males, even the alpha male." Conducted in the West African Republic of Guinea, the team of researchers stressed that the increasingly "human-dominated landscape" allows male chimps access to "highly desirable food;" food that can then "be traded for other currencies."