Cost of coitus: Male monkeys pay for sex

[LiberalNation]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080102...p54kovIhUDW7oF

PARIS (AFP) - Selling sex is said to be humankind's oldest profession but it may have deep evolutionary roots, according to a study into our primate cousins which found that male macaques pay for intercourse by using grooming as a currency.

On average, females had sex 1.5 times per hour.

But this rate jumped to 3.5 times per hour immediately after the female had been groomed by a male -- and her partner of choice was likely to be the hunky monkey that did the grooming.

Market forces also acted on the value of the transaction.

If there were several females in the area, the cost of buying sex would drop dramatically -- a male could "buy" a female for just eight minutes of nit-picking.

But if there were no females around, he would have to groom for up to 16 minutes before sex was offered.

The work supports the theory that biological market forces can explain social behaviour, the British weekly says.

[darin]

except it's painfully ridiculous to think our ancestry had anything to do w/ that of apes/monkeys, etc.

[LiberalNation]

I don't know about that.

[darin]

Ya know - this thread COULD have been named "Girl Monkeys are whores. They Screw guys who do stuff for 'em."

[LiberalNation]

lol, well it ain't just monkeys so don't be judgin.

[Abbey Marie]

and her partner of choice was likely to be the hunky monkey that did the grooming.

Hmm. This conclusion sounds like it could have been "backed into" (pun intended) on purpose. It's entirely possible that the female monkey had already chosen her stud monkey, and "let" him groom her. In that case, the female is not having sex with that particular monkey because he groomed her.

[PostmodernProphet]

On average, females had sex 1.5 times per hour.

egads.......