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CHIMPANZEES IN WEST Africa get drunk during lengthy “drinking sessions” involving the fermented sap of palm trees, according to a new study published today.
The report in the journal Royal Society Open Science focused on primates living in Guinea, which use leaves to soak up the fermented sap of raffia palms.
The sap is normally processed by humans to make palm wine, and can can contain up to 6.9 percent alcohol, which is stronger than most beer.
This is the first time regular, independent inebriation has been studied among animals, apart from anecdotal observations in wild apes, says Kimberley Hockings of Oxford Brookes University, one of the report’s co-authors.
The habitual and voluntary consumption of ethanol has been documented until now, only in humans.
Baboons in South Africa are known to steal fermenting grapes from vineyards, and monkeys sometimes sneak the odd cocktail from tourists in resorts.
But the chimps in Boussou are unique because their alcohol consumption isn’t the result of any human interaction, the report said.
Some of the chimps “consumed significant quantities of ethanol and displayed behavioural signs of inebriation,” the study found.
While researchers note that no detailed behavioural data was collected, “some drinkers rested directly after imbibing fermented sap.”
The behaviour is still quite rare, though, Hockings said, with researchers combining their data from observations dating back to 1995.
Researchers said they observed 51 “drinking events” by individual primates over that period of time.
One adult male in particular accounted for 14 of 15 events.
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Oh deer
@Madra: that’s probably his/her reaction to what appears to be a large election poster
Probably won’t pay for a ticket either … to deer .
Eff you deputy Stag, eff you
@Charles McDuck: a classic
@Charles McDuck: are u thinking of the deer in the Phoenix Park?
These wild stag do’s are always causing trouble on the dart.
Where does the buck stop?
When he held up services, was he wearing a mask?
“They sika him here. They sika him there…”
They’re trying to get a DART to Howth to visit Deerpark.
@Deborah Blacoe: making a break for it after the last cull
It’s deer enuff as is !!
Even Doe it could be a deer problem
You take the North Bound DART to Connolly and switch to the Red Line Luas back to the Phoenix Park………
Ban stag parties
Have they a vegetarian option in first class if one doesn’t partake of venison?
Bloody stag parties
@Del Teeling: you’re very anti stag parties, what happened? Was your future husband tied up naked to a cactus in Vegas
Probably House Baratheon‘s fault
Doh!
Deery me
All this fawn-ing over the DART delays…..
Train delays “O Deer”
For a Sika to end up on the DART line he must be blind! Clearly has no-eye deer where he is.
Oh deer oh deer
Rail fares are too deer ? and they made a hash of that one
In fairness its more catchy than murder on the dance floor
Where the feck did they come from in this part of town
@Ronan Mac Sweeney:
Followed the feeder bus from Enniskerry?
I’ll get my coat.
have your say