Overview

• A study published in *Current Biology* provides the first evidence of wild chimpanzees sharing naturally fermented fruits containing alcohol.
• Researchers observed 70 instances of fruit consumption, with alcohol present in 24 of 28 sampled fruits, reaching up to 0.61% alcohol content.
• In 9 out of 10 documented sharing events, the shared fruits contained alcohol, involving chimpanzees of various ages and sexes.
• The study suggests that sharing fermented food could represent an ancestral form of social bonding or celebration, though motivations remain unclear.
• These findings build on earlier reports of chimpanzees consuming higher-alcohol palm sap, highlighting a broader pattern of primate alcohol use.