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Chimpanzees Drink Daily: Study Supports Drunken Monkey Hypothesis

3/6/2026

Summary

Story summary

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) found wild chimpanzees consume one alcoholic drink daily by eating fermenting fruits.
Aleksey Maro, a UC Berkeley researcher, led the study testing urine from 19 chimpanzees and finding an 85% EtG rate.
The findings support the drunken monkey hypothesis, showing natural ethanol consumption in primates.
Future research will examine how alcohol affects chimpanzee behavior.
The study was published in Biology Letters.

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Story summary

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) found wild chimpanzees consume one alcoholic drink daily by eating fermenting fruits.
Aleksey Maro, a UC Berkeley researcher, led the study testing urine from 19 chimpanzees and finding an 85% EtG rate.
The findings support the drunken monkey hypothesis, showing natural ethanol consumption in primates.
Future research will examine how alcohol affects chimpanzee behavior.
The study was published in Biology Letters.