In a study conducted by British scientists in West Africa, it has been discovered that wild chimpanzees engage in social behavior similar to humans consuming alcohol at parties. This marks the first time scientists have documented such behavior among chimpanzees.
The University of Exeter in the United Kingdom announced on April 21st that its researchers set up cameras in the Cantanhez Forests National Park in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, to observe the daily behavior of chimpanzees.
The cameras captured chimpanzees sharing and consuming fermented African breadfruit on ten different occasions. These fruits were found to contain ethanol, which is alcohol.
This study suggests that the purpose of chimpanzees consuming alcohol-containing fruits may be similar to humans drinking alcoholic beverages.
Anna Bowland, a researcher at the Center for Ecology and Conservation at the university, stated during a press conference, “For humans, we know that drinking alcohol leads to the release of dopamine and endorphins, resulting in feelings of happiness and relaxation.”
She added, “We also know that drinking together – including through traditional means such as gatherings – helps in forming and strengthening social relationships.” Now, researchers have discovered that chimpanzees also share and consume fruits containing alcohol. But the question remains, do they derive similar benefits from it?
The researchers found that the alcohol content in the fruits consumed by chimpanzees, at its highest, is equivalent to an alcohol by volume of 0.61%. While this concentration is not high, researchers suggest that this may just be the tip of the iceberg as 60% to 85% of chimpanzees’ diet consists of fruits. They may actually be ingesting more alcohol.
However, researchers emphasize that chimpanzees are unlikely to get “drunk” as it would evidently threaten their survival chances.
Kimberley Hockings, a researcher at the university, said, “Chimpanzees do not always share food, so the behavior of sharing fermented fruits could be significant.”
She stated that further research is needed to understand if chimpanzees deliberately seek out fruits containing alcohol and how they metabolize it, but this behavior could be an early stage in the evolution of “feasting.”
The results of the study were published on April 21 in the journal “Current Biology.”
The Cantanhez Forests National Park is located in southern Guinea-Bissau, covering an area of 1,067 square kilometers. The park is home to a variety of primates, including Western chimpanzees, Red colobus, King colobus, Guinea baboons, Campbell’s monkeys, and Green monkeys.