We knew this but it's nice to have confirmation.*
From the University of California at Berkeley via SciTech Daily, November 20:
A survey measuring the ethanol levels in fruits consumed by chimpanzees suggests that these animals are regularly exposed to alcohol.
Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, conducted the first direct measurements of ethanol in fruits naturally available to chimpanzees across their African habitats. The findings suggest that the animals could ingest the equivalent of more than two standard alcoholic drinks per day through their fruit-based diet.
While it remains uncertain whether chimpanzees intentionally seek out fruits with higher ethanol levels, typically those that are riper and richer in sugar, the presence of alcohol in many of the fruits they routinely consume implies that ethanol has long been a natural component of their diet. This pattern likely mirrors the dietary habits of early human ancestors as well.
Calculating daily alcohol intake in chimpanzees
“Across all sites, male and female chimpanzees are consuming about 14 grams of pure ethanol per day in their diet, which is the equivalent to one standard American drink,” said UC Berkeley graduate student Aleksey Maro of the Department of Integrative Biology. “When you adjust for body mass, because chimps weigh about 40 kilos versus a typical human at 70 kilos, it goes up to nearly two drinks.”In the U.S., a “standard drink” contains 14 grams of ethanol, regardless of the drinker’s size, while in much of Europe, the standard measurement is 10 grams....
- "Alcoholic killer monkey leaves one man dead and 250 injured...."
- "Vineyard-Raiding Baboons Favor Pinot Noir":
What a bunch of wine snob poseurs.
Merlot is just fine, especially if it's dolled up as Chateau Petrus.
Berry Bros. & Rudd is running a special case price, "Buy 6 and save £ 2667.37".
A Romanée Conti (pinot noir) will cost you double or triple. BB&R is price on request.
Either way, possibly more than the average baboon has in petty cash....
From The Big Money's Daily Bread blog:
Wild baboons in South Africa are raiding vineyards. Perhaps they watched the move Sideways or perhaps they just have good taste: Growers report that the baboons favor pinot noir grapes. Not only that, but they "choose the nicest bunches" and leave the sour grapes on the ground, according to one farmer quoted by the Associated Press.
The primates' discernment is expensive for the growers in South Africa's wine country: Pinot sells for more than the merlot and cabernet sauvignon that the tasteful baboons tend to ignore....
