Chimps consume alcohol equivalent of nearly 2 drinks a day

According to a recent study, chimpanzees in West Africa have been observed consuming fermented palm sap, which is equivalent to nearly two alcoholic drinks per day. This finding adds to the growing body of evidence supporting the "drunk monkey" hypothesis proposed by anthropologist Robert Dudley. The study, conducted by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, observed chimpanzees in the Taï National Park in Côte d'Ivoire. They found that the chimps would climb palm trees, puncture the bark, and collect the fermenting sap, which can have an alcohol content of up to 6.9%. The researchers suggest that the chimps may consume the alcohol-containing sap for various reasons, such as obtaining calories, self-medicating, or even for its psychoactive effects. This behavior adds to the growing evidence that the consumption of fermented fruits and other alcohol-containing substances may have been an important part of the evolutionary history of primates, including humans.