I'd heard it anecdotally, but now it's officially confirmed: A new study says that female primates will get down and dirty in exchange for meat. And not just one measly piece of meat either. Ladyapes prefer chimp dudes that share meat with them often: What we're looking at here is the equivalent of three or four dates where the guy picks up the tab for a fancy dinner out. In human terms we're talking maybe an aged ribeye -- in the chimp world, the steak happens to be the meat of the red colobus monkey.
Here's my favorite part of the story:
"Females who are bolder or are more relaxed around males will approach the male who is in possession of meat and try to take a piece of meat or immediately start eating from the carcass," lead author Cristina Gomes told Discovery News.
"The male will either not react to this and allow the female to eat, or will pull the meat away from the female, to which females usually react by screaming, crying or throwing a temper tantrum," added Gomes.
I believe I have observed similar behavior in my very own self, like when some waiter whisks away a plate of veal piccata I'm not quite finished with. Wow, I feel so evolved.
