We knew that monkeys paid for sex as soon as they learn what money is. But that’s in a lab, a controlled setting, where who knows what kinds of tricks the labcoats used to pervert their monkey minds. Turns out, though, monkeys in the wild don’t need money to develop a “strangers with benefits” relationship. They’ll happily barter for low-level prostitution. Not only that, the exchange can be delayed. They remember who gave what when and how much and how much monkey business it was worth.
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Joshuah Bearman
Joshuah Bearman has written about CIA missions, jewel thieves, deranged private investigators, aspiring Fabios, bitter rivalry among dueling Santa Clauses, and the metaphysical implications of being the world's greatest Pac Man player. His article for Wired became the movie Argo.