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The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

author:Overlapping Media

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

Original2023-05-11 17:32·All things spirit

When some netizens were walking on the street, they accidentally found a group of birds, lying with their belly up in the sky and sleeping among the berries on the ground, looking drunk.

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

In fact, drinking is not a human patent, many animals in nature are "good at this mouthful", from the bird's "drunken flight" to the legend that monkeys brew "monkey wine", all show that animals can also drink.

Do you want to know who is the animal with the best amount of alcohol? What does it look like for an animal to drink too much and go crazy?

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

Magpies that eat too much fermented fruit on the ground

The bird's "drunken flight"

Back in the suburbs of Los Angeles, California, between 2005 and 2007, a large number of bird carcasses appeared in the suburbs, including more than 90 cedar peacebirds.

Surprisingly, the cause of death of these birds turned out to be "drunk flight". It turns out that these cute little ones fell into a drunkenness after enjoying a feast of bright red berries from the Brazilian pepper tree. Unfortunately, they hit windows, walls or guardrails in a drunken state and ended up dying from their injuries.

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

New Zealand wood pigeons often "get drunk" and hang upside down on trees

Wild chimpanzees drink fermented sap

In the mysterious village of Bossou, Guinea, West Africa, there is a unique drink called "palm wine", which is made with a unique process.

Locals prune the canopy of mature coconut palms and hang plastic jugs on the trees, and the collected sap becomes the raw material for palm wine. This sugar-rich sap ferments in a short time and contains about 3.1% alcohol, making it a local specialty traditional sake.

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

However, this fine wine not only attracts the love of the locals, but also a special group of "drinkers" - wild chimpanzees. These clever animals cunningly seize the source of wine, taking turns with each other or waiting patiently. To taste this tempting palm wine, the chimpanzees showed amazing intelligence and creativity.

They will skillfully use tools to drink, such as chewing leaves skillfully with their mouths, throwing the leaves into the wine, and then taking them out to squeeze out the wine to drink, just as we humans use sponges.

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

In addition to birds and chimpanzees, there are many other animals that also have stories of getting drunk. For example, in Chinese legend, monkeys brew "monkey wine", which may have originated from the phenomenon of monkeys getting drunk. In addition, elephants sometimes break into villages to drink human alcohol, and even make a fuss when drunk. Hamsters are surprisingly drinkable, even drinking better than the most drinkable humans.

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

How exactly do animals get drunk?

  • Alcohol in fermented fruits and sap

The root cause of animal drunkenness lies in the alcohol in fermented fruits and tree sap.

In the process of their natural maturity or decay, natural bacteria will break down the sugar in it into ethanol, which is what we all know as alcohol, a process commonly known as "fermentation". As the bacteria "work hard," the sugar in the fruit decreases and the ethanol content increases.

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

A drunken pigeon

For example, the Astrocaryum palm fruit commonly eaten by Panamanian howler monkeys contains alcohol, and the ethanol content of overripe palm fruit can even exceed 4.5%.

  • Ingested by chance in the animal's search for food

During an animal's search for food, they may accidentally ingest alcohol-rich fermented fruits or tree sap. And in the vast forest, the ethanol smell from fermented fruits may provide clues to animals to help them find sugary fruits.

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

The fruit given by humans has been left for a long time, and the little squirrel came to eat a few bites and fell drunk

In addition, ethanol itself is also an important source of calories and may stimulate the appetite of animals. For example, during the evolution of humans, our ancestors discovered alcohol in fermented fruits, which may have been the basis for the formation of alcohol addiction in modern humans.

  • The attraction of animals to alcohol

Animals' fascination with alcohol often leads them into drunken situations.

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

In some special cases, animals actively seek out sources of alcohol, such as chimpanzees obsessed with fermented sap, while lemurs love the alcohol in the nectar of travelers' bananas. These animals may be curious about the smell and taste of alcohol, making them willing to try tasting.

At the same time, the calories provided by alcohol may also be an important reason why animals love alcohol. After all, for animals living in a competitive natural environment, heat harvesting is crucial.

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

The baby elephant becomes confused after eating too much fermented fruit

How much alcohol do animals drink?

Now that you know that animals also drink, you must be wondering how much alcohol they have? Of course, not all animals can withstand the effects of alcohol, so they drink in varying amounts.

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?
  • Alcohol consumption in humans, chimpanzees and lemurs

Humans, chimpanzees, and lemurs all have an enzyme called ADH4, which works in the livers of these animals to help break down alcohol. Animals with this enzyme are able to digest and metabolize alcohol relatively easily, reducing the harm of alcohol to the body.

The presence of this enzyme allowed humans and other primates to adapt to alcohol intake, possibly because their ancestors needed to ingest fermented fruits for energy.

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

However, even animals with the ADH4 enzyme can drink alcohol that varies from individual to individual. For example, differences in alcohol consumption between humans may be related to factors such as genetics, weight, sex, age, etc.

  • Hamster's alcohol amount

In case you can't imagine, a hamster is a surprisingly drinkable animal.

The amount of alcohol these small mammals are so amazing is because they have a unique physiological mechanism. The alcohol dehydrogenase used to metabolize alcohol in hamsters is very active, and can very quickly metabolize the alcohol drunk into the stomach.

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

This ability may have evolved hamsters in their natural environment to adapt to ingesting fermented fruits and plants.

In 1962, 23 Syrian hamsters were given wine and water to choose freely, but the result was that 88% of the liquid they drank in a day was alcohol. Later, it was found that these little things love to drink twenty or thirty degrees of alcohol, and their limit alcohol is converted into human terms, that is, an adult drinks 8 large cases of 4 degrees beer every day!

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

Standard little drunkard

Do animals also go crazy with alcohol?

  • Drunkenness may affect the animal's behavior and judgment

Alcohol intake may cause animals to become drunk, which can affect their behavior and judgment. Drunken animals may experience behavioral changes such as unsteady gait, slow reflexes, and increased aggression. These behavioral changes may expose animals to higher hazards, such as susceptibility to injury, increased risk of predation, and conflict with their peers.

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

In addition, drunkenness can also affect the animal's judgment. For example, a drunken bird may have difficulty navigating during flight, increasing the risk of getting lost or colliding. Similarly, drunk monkeys may lose their balance while jumping between branches, resulting in fall injuries.

  • Physiological effects of alcohol on animals

The physiological effects of alcohol on animals are mainly manifested in the liver, digestive system and nervous system. First of all, the liver is the main organ in animals that breaks down alcohol.

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

Of course, the national treasure did not drink, but only made a wine bottle and wine glass out of bamboo

Long-term high intake of alcohol may cause damage to the liver, leading to diseases such as hepatitis and cirrhosis. Although many animals have enzymes that break down alcohol, different animals have different capacity to metabolize alcohol, so the effects of alcohol on the liver will also be different.

  • Individual animals may develop alcohol-addictive behavior

In some cases, individual animals may show dependence and craving for alcohol. This condition usually occurs in environments where animals are exposed to alcohol for a long time, such as near human settlements.

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

In this environment, animals may develop alcohol addiction due to easy access to alcoholic food. For example, there have been reports of some monkeys snatching alcoholic beverages from tourists and developing drunkenness.

It is worth noting that this alcohol-addictive behavior may be related to physiological and psychological factors in animals.

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

A pet rabbit abroad who is addicted to drinking

On the one hand, animals may crave alcohol because of the pleasure it brings; On the other hand, animals may become dependent due to neuroadaptation due to alcohol intake. However, this alcohol addiction is not widespread in the animal kingdom and is usually limited to individual individuals.

Most animals still rely on natural food

Although individual animals may develop alcohol-addictive behavior, most animals still rely on natural foods. In the natural environment, animals adjust their eating habits according to changes in seasons and food sources. Although fermented fruits contain alcohol, animals usually do not overconsume alcohol because of this.

The bird drinks more and lies on the side of the road, the monkey holds the liquor and blows the bottle, who is the biggest "drunkard" in the animal world?

In addition, the physiological mechanisms of animals also help prevent alcoholism. Many animals have enzymes that break down alcohol and can efficiently digest and metabolize alcohol, reducing the harm of alcohol to the body. This physiological mechanism allows animals to maintain a certain self-regulation when ingesting alcohol.

Of course, whether humans or animals, as long as alcohol is ingested, it will have a negative impact on the body, and any beer belly and alcoholic liver will come to the door, and even damage brain cells. So although the wine is good, you still can't be greedy!

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