Random Information Just A Random Blog..!!

Male Chauvinist Chimps or the Meat Market of Public Opinion? [The Primate Diaries]

Female chimpanzee with her infant requests meat after a successful hunt.
Image: David Bygott / Tree of Life Web Project

Owen Lovejoy's recent paper about Ardipithecus ramidus and human origins (see my detailed critique here) bases its argument on the male provisioning observed in chimpanzees. However, what went unacknowledged in his theory was the inherent gender bias it represented. A perfect example of this was observed in April with the release of the very study on provisioning behavior that Lovejoy used as the basis for his idea.

From the press introductions alone, you would have thought you were in a 19th-century gentleman's club enjoying cigars and brandy. "There's nothing like a prime rib dinner to boost a guy's chances of getting lucky," boasted ScienceNOW as he cleaned his monacle. The Daily Mail agreed with a harrumph, "As every Romeo knows, laying on a delicious dinner for two is one of the best seduction ploys." Chuckling along with a wink and a nudge, MSNBC added, "A savory meat dinner goes a long way, as in all the way."

Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...