Wild chimpanzees have been photographed eating and sharing fruit containing alcohol for the first time. In a newly released study, a research team led by the University of Exeter set up cameras in Guinea-Bissau's Cantanhez National Park in West Africa and caught the chimps on camera sharing fermented African breadfruit, which has been confirmed to contain ethanol (alcohol).
Motion-activated cameras filmed chimps sharing fermented fruits on 10 separate occasions. While the alcohol level in the fruit was shown to be relatively low – the highest being the equivalent of 0.61% ABV – researchers suggest this may be the “tip of the iceberg”, and since a large part of a chimp’s diet is fruit, even low alcohol levels could amount to meaningful intake.
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The findings have raised fascinating questions about if (and why) chimps deliberately seek out alcohol. “For humans, we know that drinking alcohol leads to a release of dopamine and endorphins, and resulting feelings of happiness and relaxation,” said Anna Bowland, from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter’s Penryn campus in Cornwall. “We also know that sharing alcohol – including through traditions such as feasting – helps to form and strengthen social bonds. So – now we know that wild chimpanzees are eating and sharing ethanolic fruits – the question is: could they be getting similar benefits?”
Researchers have stated that chimps are unlikely to get drunk in the way humans might, because it could threaten their survival. The impact of alcohol on chimps’ metabolism is still unknown.
Nevertheless, this food-sharing behaviour tells us a great deal about chimpanzee social dynamics. “Chimps don’t share food all the time, so this behaviour with fermented fruit might be important,” said Dr Kimberley Hockings, also from the University of Exeter. “We need to find out more about whether they deliberately seek out ethanolic fruits and how they metabolise it, but this behaviour could be the early evolutionary stages of ‘feasting’. If so, it suggests the human tradition of feasting may have its origins deep in our evolutionary history.”
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Top image: Chimpanzees sharing the fermented African breadfruit (credit: Bowland et al)