Deep in Guinea-Bissau’s Cantanhez National Park, a remote camera captured an unusual scene: wild chimpanzees sharing fermented African breadfruit. Researchers from the University of Exeter observed that the fruit, containing up to 0.61% alcohol by volume, drew the chimps together in surprising ways, PetaPixel reports.
The chimpanzees didn’t just consume the alcoholic fruit individually. They actively shared it among themselves across ten separate occasions, sparking new questions about the social role of alcohol in primate behavior. Instead of fighting or hoarding, chimps of different ages and sexes passed the fruits around, suggesting that the slight intoxication may foster group bonding.
“For humans, we know that drinking alcohol leads to a release of dopamine and endorphins, and resulting feelings of happiness and relaxation,” Anna Bowland from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter, told The Guardian.
Wild chimps were filmed sharing alcoholic fruit for the first time.
A New Clue in Evolutionary Behavior
This study marks the first recorded instance of wild great apes consuming and sharing alcoholic food together, a behavior long thought to be uniquely human. Researchers believe this could hint at the evolutionary roots of communal feasting traditions, Live Science reports.
“Chimps don’t share food all the time, so this behavior with fermented fruit might be important,” study co-author Kimberley Hockings, an associate professor in conservation science at the University of Exeter, told Live Science.
The footage also captured moments of social tension and negotiation. In one instance, adult males named Mandjambé and Gary exhibited dominant posturing around a cache of ripe fruit. After some initial competition, the group ultimately partook together, illustrating a complex blend of rivalry and cooperation, The Guardian reports.
Researchers captured the behavior using hidden cameras in Guinea-Bissau.
The Boozy Science Behind the Breadfruit
Using breathalyzer tools and lab analysis, researchers confirmed that late-ripening fruits from the *Treculia africana* tree contained significantly higher alcohol levels than unripe fruits. According to People, the wild chimps showed a clear preference for these fermented offerings over other available food sources.
While the alcohol levels were modest by human standards—far below the strength of a typical beer—the repeated consumption raised important questions. With a fruit-heavy diet, chimpanzees could cumulatively ingest more alcohol than previously assumed, even if they never showed signs of drunkenness, The Washington Post reports.
Importantly, the study’s authors stressed that drunkenness would be detrimental to chimps’ survival. Instead, it’s the social effects, not the intoxicating effects, that seem most significant.
The fermented African breadfruit contained up to 0.61% alcohol by volume.
Ancient Echoes of Feasting
The idea that communal drinking and eating could promote social bonds has strong support in human anthropology. Now, these new observations suggest such behaviors may trace back millions of years into our shared evolutionary past.
As Live Science reports, humans and chimpanzees both evolved a genetic ability to metabolize alcohol about 10 million years ago. That adaptation likely came from early encounters with naturally fermenting fruits in the wild.
Researchers behind the new study now wonder whether seeking out mildly alcoholic food and sharing it within a group could have laid the groundwork for early human traditions of feasting and celebration.
“We need to find out more about whether the chimpanzees deliberately seek out ethanolic fruits and how they metabolize it,” Hockings told PetaPixel. She added, “but this behavior could be the early evolutionary stages of feasting.”
What the Future Holds for Research
Scientists caution that the number of observations remains small. Yet even these few examples have already prompted excitement across primatology and evolutionary biology fields. Further studies could uncover more about how alcohol consumption fits into primate society—and how it connects to the earliest social gatherings of humans.
Given that chimpanzees used tools like cleavers and anvils to access the breadfruit, researchers are eager to continue exploring whether tool use, dietary selection, and social sharing overlap in significant ways, People reports.
For now, the footage offers a captivating glimpse into one of our closest relatives finding joy—and perhaps camaraderie—in an unexpected place: a boozy fruit.
