Chimpanzees know how to party. Boozy fruit, anybody?

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Chimps eat and share boozy fruit

Remote cameras in Guinea-Bissau’s Cantanhez National Park in Africa have captured a fascinating behavior of wild chimpanzees. A team of scientists from the University of Exeter said on April 21, 2025, that – for the first time – they’ve documented chimps repeatedly eating and sharing naturally fermented African breadfruit. The fermented fruit contains alcohol. So the scientists are now investigating whether alcohol consumption is conscious and, if it is, why they ingest it.

The scientists published their study in the peer-reviewed journal Science Direct on April 21, 2025.

How much alcohol do chimpanzees ingest?

Fermented fruit contains ethanol, an organic chemical compound that’s a form of alcohol. Scientists analyzed the alcohol content of the fruit the chimpanzees were eating to determine how much alcohol they were ingesting. The highest level found was the equivalent of 0.61% ABV (alcohol by volume).

This is a relatively low amount. However, chimpanzees’ diets are made up of 60-85% fruit. So even if the amount of alcohol is low, it would be increased if the chimpanzees ate a lot of the fruit that contained alcohol.

However, scientists believe that chimpanzees do not get drunk, as this would significantly decrease their chances of survival.

Why do chimpanzees consume this alcoholic fruit?

Scientists emphasize that chimpanzees don’t always share food. Yet on 10 different occasions the researchers observed the chimps sharing fermented fruit. Is this perhaps a form of socializing? One of the co-authors of the study, Kimberley Hockings of the University of Exeter, said:

Chimps don’t share food all the time, so this behavior with fermented fruit might be important.

In humans, alcohol consumption causes the release of dopamine and endorphins, which, in turn, makes us feel more relaxed and happy. Although the specific impact of alcohol on chimpanzee metabolism is unknown, some interesting recent discoveries have been made.

The scientists pointed to a molecular adaptation that greatly increased ethanol metabolism in the common ancestor of African apes. This could suggest that eating fermented fruits has ancient origins in species including humans and chimpanzees.

Is alcohol a tool for socializing?

Humans have turned to alcohol throughout our history to socialize. Chimpanzees share 98% of their DNA with us. And they share many behaviours; they use tools, have feelings, express themselves through vocalizations and gestures, and play.

So it’s possible that chimps consume alcohol occasionally for the same reasons we do. According to the lead author of the study, Anna Bowland, from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall:

For humans, we know that drinking alcohol leads to a release of dopamine and endorphins, and resulting feelings of happiness and relaxation. 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?

More studies needed

If these animals deliberately gather to drink alcohol, share and celebrate, then alcoholic feasts are no longer traditions unique to humans.

It may be that from the beginning of our evolutionary history, alcohol was already present in the lives of our ancestors. Hockings said:

We need to find out more about whether they deliberately seek out ethanolic fruits and how they metabolize it, but this behavior 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.

Bottom line: Do chimpanzees meet in parties to ingest alcohol like we do? For the first time, scientists have recorded chimps repeatedly eating and sharing fermented fruit.

Source: Wild chimpanzees share fermented fruits

Via University of Exeter

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