Thursday, June 11, 2015

Chimps Go Bananas For Booze

I read a really interesting article on NPR.org today called "Like Us, Chimps Go Bananas For Booze," by Nadia Whitehead. Here's the link: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/06/10/413169586/like-us-chimps-go-bananas-for-booze

The article discusses how chimpanzees in the village of Bossou, Guinea, drink a special kind of wine found in the wild. This wine is created naturally when tree sap from the raffia plant ferments. Villagers noticed this occurrence, and started leaving out open containers of this special wine, which the chimpanzees would grab when they thought the coast was clear.

Researchers aren't sure whether the chimps drink this wine for its sweet taste, or to get a little drunk. They think it's probably some combination of the two. I thought this story showed an interesting link between animals and humans. Chimpanzees are so similar to us that they even like to drink alcohol too!

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