British scientists filmed an "alcohol party" of chimpanzees feasting on fermented fruits
Kyiv • UNN
In West Africa, scientists filmed wild chimpanzees gathering to feast on alcoholic fruits. They share fruits like people at feasts, strengthening social ties.
British scientists managed to film the "gatherings" of wild chimpanzees in West Africa, who gathered in a company to enjoy the alcoholic fruits of the breadfruit tree and "get high". Primates gathered in a company and shared delicacies in the same way as humans do, arranging feasts. This is reported by UNN with reference to the publication The Guardian.
Details
Researchers led by scientists from the University of Exeter in Great Britain filmed a "party" of chimpanzees sharing fermented fruits of the African breadfruit tree in the Cantanhez National Park in Guinea-Bissau.
We know that alcohol consumption leads to the release of dopamine and endorphins and, as a result, feelings of happiness and relaxation. We also know that sharing alcohol, in particular through traditions such as feasting, helps to form and strengthen social bonds. And now we also know that wild chimpanzees eat and share fruits with a similar ethanol content
For observations, scientists used motion-activated cameras. Thanks to this equipment, researchers were able to record 10 times how chimpanzees arrange "gatherings" with fermented fruits.
Scientists also checked the fruits for alcohol content. The highest level found was the equivalent of 0.61% alcohol.
Although the alcohol level is relatively low, chimpanzees ate a lot of these fruits, so they could get enough alcohol, equivalent to drinking light beer.
Chimpanzees don't share food all the time, so this behavior with fermented fruits may be important
Footage of great apes eating fermented breadfruit prompts researchers to seek answers to whether they can shed light on the origins of the human tradition of feasting.
Let us remind you
Earlier it became known that scientists in Indonesia managed to record that orangutans have learned to independently treat wounds using medicinal plants.
