Animals Also Consume Alcohol In The Wild, May Get 'Drunk': Research

Apparently, animals get drunk on alcohol too. 

In a new review published in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution, ecologists argued that wildlife can also get drunk by consuming alcohol — specifically, ethanol which is found in almost every ecosystem. 

Ethanol is a naturally occurring substance in fermented sugars in fruits. The researchers believe that fruit- and nectar-eating animals in the wild consume fermented food leading to them likely being or behaving “drunk.” 

This assumption challenges the previous understanding that non-human consumption of ethanol is very rare.

“We're moving away from this anthropocentric view that ethanol is just something that humans use,” explains University of Exeter’s Kimberley Hockings, behavioral ecologist and senior author of the research.

“It's much more abundant in the natural world than we previously thought, and most animals that eat sugary fruits are going to be exposed to some level of ethanol.”

Ethanol is present in nearly every ecosystem but concentrations are higher in lower-latitude and humid tropical environments, Eureka Alert noted. The outlet pointed out that while naturally fermented fruits only have up to 2% alcohol by volume (ABV), some could hit as high as 10.2% ABV. 

In comparison, a bottle of beer is at 5% ABV, the average glass of wine has about 12% alcohol, while a shot of hard liquor is at 40% ABV.

It is unclear whether animals intentionally consume ethanol, but a senior author of the study admitted that being drunk in the wild is not the best idea. 

“From an ecological perspective, it is not advantageous to be inebriated as you're climbing around in the trees or surrounded by predators at night—that's a recipe for not having your genes passed on,” pointed molecular ecologist Matthew Carrigan of the College of Central Florida.

Despite this, there are many possible ethanol health benefits to wild animals, including as a source of calories and to protect fruit fly eggs from parasites. 

The team hopes to extend their research to the behavioral and social implications of ethanol consumption in primates.