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Published on Saturday, March 19, 2016

Stoned And Drunk Wildlife

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Stoned And Drunk Wildlife

Animal Highs? 

Using alcohol and drugs to relieve the daily monotony of life is not unique to humans. According to biologist Mario Ludwig some animals use drugs and others imbibe in alcohol.  It seems that several animals routinely have a shot of hard liquor or opiates.  This scientist specialized in lesser-known animal phenomena and has published 20 books about quirky animal behavior. 

A Garden of Delights 

Examples of drug and alcohol use in the animal kingdom include Reindeer that eat hallucinogenic fly agarics. After finishing their meal it is common to see them swaying on their feet.  Kangaroos in Tasmania often raid the opium fields and eat the seed pods of the opium flowers. This makes them high and causes them to run crazily around in circles. 

Dolphin Drugs 

Bottle-nosed dolphins eat pufferfish as a drug. Pufferfish emit a very strong neuro-toxin tetradoxin. Young male dolphins harass the pufferfish so that they release the toxin and then they pass it around in much the same way that humans pass around a joint.  The interesting thing about this behavior is that only male dolphins have been observed taking part in this ritual activity. It seems females do no use the drug. 

Alcoholics? 

Animals eating fermented berries and fruit are observed frequently in animal populations but the UK hedgehogs are often drunk from eating their favorite food-slugs. In the UK gardeners use beer traps to protect flowers and vegetables from slugs. When the hedgehogs raid the cups holding the beer and slugs they become intoxicated and often fall asleep right in the garden hedges.

 Guenons on the island of St. Kitts in the Caribbean are well-known for hounding tourists and aggressively drinking up their cocktails before falling asleep on the beach. 

Conclusion 

It seems that we humans are not alone in our search for things that make us feel good and break up the monotony of our days.  Just as we get addicted to drugs and alcohol so do other animals.  It seems pleasure is something all creatures desire. 

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Author: Vrountas

Categories: Blogs, Research, Animals & Wildlife

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