Alcohol is not only a human affair: And yet animals get drunk freely in nature

Drinking alcohol may not be the exclusive prerogative of humans, new research suggests. A review of the available evidence revealed that alcohol is present in almost every ecosystem on the planet, with the result that many fruit- and nectar-feeding animals frequently come into contact with, rather than avoid, ethyl alcohol. Although many animals have developed a tolerance to alcohol consumption, primarily to gain calories, other species have learned to protect themselves through alcohol. Some, however, do not easily manage the effects of… drunkenness! “We are moving away from the anthropocentric view that alcohol is an exclusively human ‘privilege’,” said Anna Bowland, a researcher at the University of Exeter. Through the analysis of scientific studies, the researchers discovered that a number of animal species have adapted their diet to foods with alcohol, mainly through fermented fruits, juices and nectars. Ethanol became abundant on Earth about 100 million years ago, when flowering plants began to produce sweet fruits and nectar, allowing […]
Source: News Beast

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