Chimpanzees Join the Celebration: Bonding Over Fermented Fruit
For millennia, humans have gathered to celebrate and share drinks, but intriguing research indicates that chimpanzees may also engage in social bonding through drinking.
In West Africa, wild chimpanzees have been spotted sharing alcoholic fruit—not in amounts sufficient to intoxicate, but possibly enough to elevate their spirits after a few bites.
A team of researchers from the University of Exeter in the UK made these observations while studying chimpanzees in Guinea-Bissau’s Cantanhez National Park.
“As with humans, alcohol consumption triggers the release of dopamine and endorphins, which contributes to feelings of happiness and relaxation,” explained Anna Bowland, from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at Exeter’s Penryn campus in Cornwall.
Utilizing motion-activated cameras, the researchers captured footage of chimpanzees enjoying the fibrous, fermented fruit on multiple occasions.
Various fruits were analyzed for their alcohol content, revealing the highest level to be 0.61% alcohol by volume (ABV).
Though this alcohol concentration is relatively low, the chimpanzees consume large quantities of fruit daily, suggesting they could ingest a significant amount of alcohol overall.
