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6d ago

Wild Chimps Filmed Sharing Fermented Fruit with Alcohol Content

Researchers captured the first-ever footage of chimpanzees in Guinea-Bissau sharing naturally fermented African breadfruit, raising questions about the evolutionary roots of social bonding and alcohol consumption.

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Two adult males feed on fermented African breadfruit (Credit: Bowland et al.)
Chimps sharing fruit in Guinea-Bissau’s Cantanhez national park

Overview

  • Motion-activated cameras documented wild chimpanzees sharing fermented African breadfruit containing up to 0.61% alcohol by volume in Guinea-Bissau's Cantanhez National Park.
  • The chimpanzees displayed selective sharing behavior, often choosing more fermented fruits over fresher options, a behavior rarely observed in their feeding habits.
  • Researchers suggest this sharing behavior could represent early evolutionary stages of feasting, a precursor to human traditions of communal eating and drinking.
  • Chimpanzees likely do not experience intoxication from the alcohol, but the impact on their metabolism and potential social bonding benefits remain under investigation.
  • The findings align with the 'drunken monkey hypothesis,' which posits that primates evolved to exploit fermented foods, supported by a genetic adaptation for ethanol metabolism in a shared ancestor of African apes.