Animals That Love to Get Drunk (…Besides Us)
Humans have been drinking for thousands of years—archaeologists have found wine jars in China dating back to 7000 BC, and ancient Egyptians were brewing beer over 5,000 years ago. But here’s the twist: we’re not the only species that enjoys a buzz.
Across the animal kingdom, plenty of creatures stumble into fermented fruit, nectar, and sap—and some seem to seek it out on purpose. From cocktail-stealing monkeys to bats that can fly better than most of us walk, here’s a tour of the world’s real “party animals.”
Vervet monkeys aren’t native to the Caribbean—they were introduced during the rum trade in the 17th–18th centuries. After snacking on fermented sugarcane, these clever troublemakers discovered something even better: tourists’ cocktails.
- Younger monkeys drink more than adults (relatable).
- Evenings are their preferred “happy hour.”
- They’re known to swipe unattended piña coladas and daiquiris.
It’s a tough life being a monkey in tropical paradise.
These little birds are obsessed with rowan berries. When autumn rolls in, those berries can start to ferment—turning snack time into happy hour in the treetops.
- Most waxwings stop at a light buzz.
- Others overdo it and end up passed out on the ground.
- Some sadly become confused mid-flight and crash into windows or buildings.
Flying drunk is way harder than walking drunk.
Bees live on nectar, but sometimes that nectar ferments. The result? Very confused bees.
- Some intoxicated bees can’t find their way home and fly off at random.
- Others make it back—only to be attacked at the entrance by sober hive mates.
- In some hives, drunk bees get dragged out and tossed, no questions asked.
Imagine stumbling home drunk and your family literally throws you out the front door.
Not every animal falls apart after a fermented snack. Some are shockingly good at handling their booze.
- Bats can still fly in a straight line even when intoxicated up to around the human legal limit.
- The Malaysian tree shrew drinks naturally fermented palm nectar every single night.
- Scaled to human size, that’s roughly 9–10 glasses of wine per night with no visible signs of being drunk.
These tiny legends almost certainly don’t get hangovers either.
Be the friend everyone thanks tomorrow.
We made Before You Drink Gummies shareable so you can toss a pack in your bag, hand them out before the first round, and be the hero who brought the party favors and thought ahead.