A research team led by the Exeter Universityin the United Kingdom, he has first photographed wild chimpanzees eating and sharing fruit that has alcohol. This has been captured by cameras installed in the Cantanhez National Park, in Guinea-Bissau.
Researchers have thus shown these images in which animals can be seen sharing fermented African bread fruitwhich has been confirmed that it contains ethanol (alcohol), which raises the question of whether these animals look for alcohol deliberately and why they do it.
It is believed, in this way, that humans consume alcohol since very remote times in evolutionary history, which has benefits for social ties. And the new study of these researchers, published Monday in the magazine Current Biology, He suggests that relatives closest to humans could be doing something similar.
“We know that humans drink alcohol, which produces a release of dopamine and endorphinswhich produces feelings of happiness and relaxation, “says Anna Bowland, of the Ecology and Conservation Center of the Exeter Penryn Campus. Bowland adds:” We also know that sharing alcohol, even through traditions such as parties, helps to form and strengthen social ties. So, now that we know that wild chimpanzees eat and share ethanolic fruits, the question is: could they be obtaining similar benefits? ”
Low alcohol level
The researchers used cameras activated by movement, which filmed the chimpanzees sharing fermented fruits up to 10 different occasions. In addition, the fruit content of the fruit that these chimpanzees shared was analyzed. The highest level found was the equivalent of 0.61% ABV (Volume alcohol, a measure used in alcoholic beverages), a relatively low level.
But the researchers claim that it could be the tip of the iceberg, since between 60% and 85% of the chimpanzees diet consists of fruitso low alcohol levels in various foods could contribute to significant consumption. Even so, the researchers underline that it is unlikely that chimpanzees get drunk, since this would not clearly improve their survival possibilities.
For now, the impact of alcohol on the metabolism of the chimpanzees is unknown. However, recent discoveries of a molecular adaptation that considerably increased ethanol metabolism in the common ancestor of African apes They suggest that the consumption of fermented fruits could have ancient origins in species such as humans and chimpanzees.
“Chimpanzees do not share food all the time, so this behavior With fermented fruit it could be important “, Kimberley Hockings, also from the University of Exeter. “We need to find out more about if they deliberately seek ethanolic fruits and how they metabolize them, but this behavior could be one of the early evolutionary stages of the ‘feast’. If so, it suggests that the human tradition of celebrating You can have your origins deep in our evolutionary history “, stands out.
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