Wild Chimpanzees Share Fermented Fruit

Researchers from the University of Exeter, led by Anna Bowland and Kimberley Hockings, used motion-activated cameras in Guinea-Bissau — Cantanhez National Park in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, to observe wild chimpanzees. For the first time, these chimpanzees were filmed on 10 separate occasions eating and sharing fermented African breadfruit, which contains ethanol (alcohol) at levels up to 0.61% ABV. The study, published in Current Biology, suggests that this behavior could be an early evolutionary stage of 'feasting' and social bonding, similar to human alcohol consumption. While the chimps are unlikely to get drunk, the discovery raises questions about their metabolism of alcohol and the deep evolutionary roots of alcohol consumption in African apes, including humans.