Additional Coverage:
- Chimpanzees may consume equivalent of 1 alcoholic drink a day from fermented fruit, study finds (cnn.com)
Chimps Enjoy a Daily “Happy Hour” With Fermented Fruit
A new study reveals that our closest primate relatives, chimpanzees, consume the equivalent of about one alcoholic drink per day through fermented fruit. This research, published in Science Advances, offers a fascinating glimpse into chimp behavior and may even shed light on humanity’s own relationship with alcohol.
Scientists observed two groups of chimpanzees in Ivory Coast and Uganda, carefully measuring the alcohol content of the fruit they consumed. The chimps ate a surprising amount of fruit – about 10 pounds daily!
This fruit contained a small percentage of ethanol, resulting in a daily intake of roughly 0.5 ounces of alcohol for the chimps. While that doesn’t sound like much, it’s proportionally similar to a human having a couple of drinks.
The study’s senior author, Robert Dudley, has long championed the “drunken monkey” hypothesis, which suggests our fondness for alcohol stems from our primate ancestors’ attraction to ripe, sugary (and slightly alcoholic) fruit. The chimps in the study seemed to prefer the fruits with the highest alcohol content, lending further credence to this idea.
While it’s unlikely these chimps are getting tipsy from their fruity snacks, the study highlights the prevalence of ethanol in the natural world and its potential role in attracting animals to energy-rich food sources. Further research is needed to fully understand the implications of these findings, but for now, it seems our primate cousins enjoy a daily “happy hour” just like some of us!