Photo credit: arstechnica.com

Chimpanzees Exhibit Alcoholic Beverage Sharing Behavior in the Wild

Gathering in groups to share food and beverages is a distinctly human trait, but recent observations reveal that wild chimpanzees might engage in similar behaviors. A study published in the journal Current Biology presents compelling evidence of these primates sharing fermented African breadfruit, which contains measurable levels of alcohol.

The fruit in question originates from the Treculia africana species, which is found in the chimps’ natural habitat within Cantanhez National Park in Guinea-Bissau. The fruit matures from a firm green state to a soft, yellow texture, eventually dropping to the ground. Due to the chimps being unhabituated, researchers utilized camera traps positioned at three distinct locations to monitor their feeding and social sharing activities.

In their observations, the researchers documented a total of ten instances where 17 chimpanzees selectively shared fruit, demonstrating a clear preference for the riper specimens. To assess the fruit’s alcohol content, they employed a portable breathalyzer between April and July 2022, discovering that approximately 90 percent of the fallen fruit contained ethanol, with the ripest fruits yielding the highest alcohol concentration—around 0.61 percent ABV (alcohol by volume).

While this level of alcohol is relatively modest compared to typical human beverages, considering that fruit constitutes 60 to 80 percent of the chimpanzees’ diet, the cumulative consumption of ethanol could be significant. However, it is improbable that chimpanzees would experience intoxication from this fruit. The researchers suggest that such a state would not provide any evolutionary advantages, and there is evidence of a genetic mechanism from the common ancestor of African apes that enhances their ability to metabolize alcohol efficiently.

Source
arstechnica.com