'Evidence Is Growing That Humans Are Not Drinking Alone'

Even bugs get the blues, then drown their sorrows in booze. And they're not the only species besides humans: A new study reveals more on "nature's hidden happy hour," in which a "diverse coterie" of animals are revealed to take part in consuming the alcohol that occurs in the great outdoors. "Evidence is growing that humans are not drinking alone," researchers write in the study published Wednesday in the Trends in Ecology & Evolution journal.

• Drink up! The University of Exeter's Anna Bowland, one of the study's co-authors, tells the Guardian that intoxicating ethanol—infused in nectar, sap, and fruits that have fermented—is actually "quite abundant in the natural world," existing in almost every ecosystem on the planet. Creatures including wild chimpanzees, spider monkeys, elephants, and tree shrews have all been observed after enjoying some of Mother Nature's DIY cocktails.

• Why? It's not really clear whether or why certain species are itching for an ethanol fix. In fact, they may seek it out "only when ethanol levels are too low to detect or unfermented fruit is hard to find," says the College of Central Florida's Matthew Carrigan, who worked on Bowland's team.
• Boozy behavior: What is clear is some of the unusual behavior that various species exhibit after imbibing Mother Nature's cocktails. Insects seem to be especially affected: Male fruit flies, for instance, seem to gravitate toward the hard stuff when they're been rebuffed by a potential mate, while female bugs of a related species lose their inhibitions and hook up for sexcapades with multiple male partners.
• Tolerance levels: While some animals react much the way humans do after they've had too much to drink—the Guardian cites one case where a Swedish moose got its head stuck in a tree after eating too many fermented apples—one species in particular, the oriental hornet, can seemingly suck down an unlimited amount of ethanol and barely catch a buzz.

• Pros: A release notes there are multiple benefits for wildlife that seeks and consumes ethanol, including ethanol offering much-needed calories, leading animals to food sources (the fermentation creates compounds that create a distinct smell), and serving as a protective liquid for insect eggs to keep parasites at bay.
• A very human habit: Edible items with ethanol that naturally ferment on their own usually don't streak past 1% or 2% alcohol by volume (ABV), but one super-ripe palm fruit in Panama once yielded a 10.2% ABV—the strength of a strong IPA or Belgian quad. "We're moving away from this anthropocentric view that alcohol is used by just humans," Bowland tells the Guardian.

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