A new study of a chimp community living in the western African nation Côte d’Ivoire has found that males regularly share meat from their hunting expeditions with females, and get sex in return.

The researchers observed males sharing meat with females in estrus, who have sexual swellings that indicate their current fertility

More surprising was that males shared meat with females that didn’t have sexual swellings, perhaps in hopes of future success, the researchers say

The findings, she says, support the theory that chimps can engage in long-term planning, anticipating future events and remembering past interactions.

The new study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, followed the group of chimps for three years

In the end, the researchers found that males “who shared meat with females doubled their mating success

form hunting parties to chase down and kill colobus monkeys and other animals. Hunters eat much, but not all