DCSIMG
SWTS.news.image.e

Strange world

MACAQUE MONKEYS 'PAY' FOR SEX

MALE macaque monkeys "pay" for sex with females by grooming them, according to scientists. The monkeys' version of the "world's oldest profession" is also a rare example of market forces acting in nature, with the availability of females affecting the "price" of mating. In areas where there are fewer females, males are forced to groom their partners for up to twice as long before they are able to have sex, the research found.

Sexual activity among a 50-strong group of long-tailed macaques in Kalimantan Tengah, Indonesia, increased after bouts of male-to-female grooming, according to findings published in Animal Behaviour journal and reported in New Scientist.

On average, females had sex 1.5 times an hour, but it jumped to 3.5 times an hour immediately after the female monkey was groomed by their male partner. The females were also less likely to look elsewhere for sex after being groomed. Michael Gumert, of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, said unlike examples of "reciprocal altruism" – in which one organism provides a service to another in return for getting something back at a later date – the value of sex fluctuated like any other economic commodity. The macaques' behaviour is thought to be an example of a "biological market".


Find It

"Business owner? - Claim your business and Advertise with us"

In association with qype logo

Looking for...

Featured advertisers

Jobs

Search for a job

Motors

Search for a car

Property

Search for a house

Weather for Edinburgh

Friday 10 February 2012

5 day forecast

Today

Cloudy

Cloudy

Temperature: 2 C to 5 C

Wind Speed: 8 mph

Wind direction: South

Tomorrow

Cloudy

Cloudy

Temperature: 2 C to 5 C

Wind Speed: 12 mph

Wind direction: South west

Press Complaints Commission

This website and its associated newspaper adheres to the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then contact the Editor by clicking here.

If you remain dissatisfied with the response provided then you can contact the PCC by clicking here.