Chimpanzees have been observed consuming fermented fruits that contain alcohol, a practice researchers say could be tied to human evolutionary history.
Chimpanzees in Uganda and Ivory Coast regularly consume fermented fruits, ingesting alcohol in amounts equivalent to half a liter of beer daily for humans, a new study in Science has found.
The research, led by Aleksey Maro of the University of California, suggests alcohol consumption is not unique to human culture but rooted in evolutionary behavior. In Kibale and Taï National Parks, pulp from 20 fruit varieties averaged 0.3% alcohol. With chimpanzees eating around 4.5 kilograms daily, their intake equated to roughly 14 grams of ethanol.
“From an ecological perspective, it is not advantageous to be inebriated… but ethanol may trigger endorphins and dopamine that support sociality,” said co-author Matthew Carrigan.
The findings mirror earlier observations in Guinea-Bissau, where chimpanzees shared alcoholic breadfruit, reinforcing evidence of deep evolutionary links to alcohol use.