A team of British scientists studying chimpanzees in West Africa documented how these primates shared each other for fermented fruits, which they subsequently consumed. TASR informs UPI on the basis of a report.
The cameras deployed in the Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau, lying on the west coast of Africa, captured chimpanzees as they shared the fermented fruits of African breadworm. Later analysis confirmed that the fruits contained ethanolthe scientific team from the University of Exeter.
Chimpanzees apparently use alcohol in a similar way to humans, the study published on April 21 in the scientific journal Current Biology. “We know that drinking alcohol in humans releases dopamine and endorphins, causing feelings of happiness and relaxation,“Anna Bowland says in a press release from the University Center for Ecology and Nature Protection.
“In addition, we know that alcohol consumption along with other people, for example in a traditional feast, helps to create and strengthen social ties. So now we know that chimpanzees living in the wild together consume fruits containing ethanol. The question is – do they have similar benefits?“She added.
According to scientists, it is noteworthy that chimpanzees have been captured when sharing fruit. They tend to consume it alone. “Chimpanzees are not always shared about food, so this behavior may be important. We need to further examine whether they are targeted to seek fruits containing ethanol and how their body metabolizes it, but their behavior may be an early development degree of feast. If so, it suggests that the human habit of feasting can have its roots deep in our evolutionary history, ”says biological anhropologist Kimberley Hockings.
