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Many believe there's a significant divide between humans and animals, often viewing humans as more sophisticated or animals as inherently purer. However, the truth reveals that humans are part of the animal kingdom, sharing many traits, including the inclination to use substances. Here are ten instances where animals utilize chemicals for pleasure or survival.
10. Alcohol Consumption
The process of alcohol fermentation is straightforward. Leave fruit untouched, and natural yeast will convert its sugars into alcohol. This simplicity likely made alcohol one of humanity's earliest intoxicants. Yet, humans aren't the only ones affected by alcohol's allure.
A popular misconception suggests elephants frequently become intoxicated from fermented fruit on the ground, but they actually prefer fresh fruit from trees. However, deer, elk, monkeys, and pigs have been seen visibly affected after consuming fermented fruit. Birds, too, have been noted eating fermented berries. While these animals typically consume what's available rather than actively seeking alcohol, evidence of such behavior comes from surprising sources.
Fruit flies are a popular choice for scientific research. In a 2012 experiment, scientists offered fruit flies two options: fruit juice with alcohol and fruit juice without. They monitored which option the flies preferred. Male flies that had recently mated showed no interest in alcohol, while those that hadn’t mated gravitated toward the alcoholic juice, seemingly using it to cope with their solitude.
9. Birds and Cigarettes
Cigarette butts are a common sight on city streets, often seen as an eyesore. However, for some animals, they present an opportunity. Birds in urban areas worldwide have been observed collecting these discarded butts and incorporating them into their nests. This behavior prompted scientists to investigate the reason behind it.
A 2012 study revealed that nests containing cigarette butts had fewer parasites. Cigarettes contain nicotine, a substance known for its addictive properties. While humans are drawn to nicotine for its effects, birds use it differently. Nicotine acts as a powerful insecticide, and by adding cigarette butts to their nests, birds effectively repel parasites that could harm their young.
However, there is a drawback to this behavior. Chicks in nests containing cigarette butts are more prone to chromosomal abnormalities. It appears that cigarettes are harmful to the young of all species.
8. Anting Behavior
A peculiar behavior in birds has puzzled ornithologists for years. Birds often pick up insects, typically ants, with their beaks and rub them over their feathers. This behavior, known as “anting,” is observed in numerous bird species.
One theory suggests that birds engage in anting to make ants more edible. Many ants release toxic substances to deter predators. By rubbing ants on their feathers, birds remove formic acid, which is then spread over their wings. This allows the birds to consume the ants without experiencing the unpleasant taste. Additionally, the formic acid may help repel parasites from their feathers. When birds are offered ants without formic acid, they skip the anting process and eat the ants directly.
Another hypothesis suggests that anting has addictive properties. After engaging in this behavior, some birds extend their wings, open their beaks, and perform a lively dance. Others lie on the ground with their wings fully spread, appearing to be in a state of avian euphoria.
7. Dolphins and Puffer Fish
Dolphins are often regarded as among the most intelligent creatures. Their complex behaviors and social structures give them an almost human-like quality. Interestingly, young dolphins, much like human teenagers, seem to enjoy experimenting with intoxicating substances.
As shown in the video above, young dolphins have been seen catching puffer fish and sharing them with others. While dolphins typically handle their prey roughly, they treat puffer fish with unusual care, gently manipulating them in their mouths. Puffer fish possess a potent neurotoxin as a defense mechanism, and dolphins appear to use this toxin to induce a high.
After consuming the neurotoxin, dolphins enter a trance-like state, floating motionlessly just beneath the water's surface.
6. Wallabies and Opium
Opium poppies, the source of heroin, morphine, and other opioids, are a highly lucrative crop in Australia. The country produces nearly half of the world's legally cultivated opium poppies. With such a vast quantity of narcotics available, it’s inevitable that some creatures become addicted. Surprisingly, these addicts aren’t humans—they’re wallabies.
In Tasmania, Bennett’s wallabies have been discovered in government-operated opium fields, heavily intoxicated from consuming the poppies. They stumble into the fields, feasting on the plants until they can no longer move straight. Farmers often find strange circular patterns of flattened crops, not caused by extraterrestrials but by wallabies seeking a place to rest after their indulgence.
Wallabies aren’t the only ones. Reports also indicate that sheep have been caught conducting similar raids on opium fields.
5. Cats and Catnip
Not all substances affect every species in the same way. While humans can relate to the allure of opium, cigarettes, and alcohol, catnip, or Nepeta cataria, is an unremarkable plant to us. For cats, however, it’s an entirely different story.
When exposed to catnip, cats exhibit behaviors similar to a female in heat. Interestingly, both male and female cats display these reactions. They rub against the plant, roll on the ground, vocalize loudly, and drool excessively. Their pupils dilate, resembling those of someone under the influence. After about ten minutes, the effects wear off, and cats become temporarily immune to catnip for the next thirty minutes. However, they eagerly return for more once the sensitivity resets.
Catnip contains a volatile oil called nepetalactone, which stimulates the hypothalamus, creating a euphoric effect. This chemical doesn’t just affect domestic cats; it also impacts larger felines like leopards and lynxes. Fortunately for cats, catnip is a safe and non-addictive substance they can enjoy repeatedly without harm.
4. Jaguars and Yage
Banisteriopsis caapi, commonly known as Yage, is a vine native to the South American rainforest. It is a key component of Ayahuasca, a potent hallucinogenic brew used by shamans. Interestingly, humans may have been inspired to use this substance after observing jaguars.
Jaguars consume the leaves and roots of the Yage vine, leading them to roll on the forest floor and play with objects like kittens. For Amazonian tribes, the jaguar is a sacred animal. Witnessing this unusual behavior likely encouraged them to experiment with the vine themselves. Today, Ayahuasca remains a central part of rituals and rites of passage, and it has also gained popularity among Western travelers seeking unique experiences.
Jaguars might have a practical reason for chewing the Yage vine beyond its narcotic effects. It induces vomiting and diarrhea, which can help expel parasitic worms from their bodies.
3. Millipedes
Black Lemurs in Madagascar use millipedes as a natural insect repellent. They capture the large arthropods and bite them, triggering the millipedes to release defensive chemicals with strong odors. The lemurs then rub these secretions onto their fur to ward off insects and parasites. However, the lemurs also appear to experience a euphoric effect from the millipedes, as they drool, sway, and groom themselves afterward.
Interestingly, primates beyond Madagascar have also discovered the medicinal benefits of millipedes. In Venezuela, Capuchin monkeys use millipede secretions to coat their fur. While there’s no indication that these monkeys experience a high, the millipedes produce potent insect repellents that effectively deter bot flies, which lay their eggs in the flesh of other animals. When millipedes are scarce, the monkeys will rub against tribe members already covered in millipede secretions. Millipedes, it seems, are a versatile and valuable resource.
2. Reindeer and Mushrooms
If you ask someone to draw a mushroom, they’ll likely sketch one with a red cap and white spots—the Fly Agaric mushroom, or Amanita muscaria. Found widely across Europe and Asia, this mushroom is toxic to humans, with 15 caps being potentially fatal. Despite this, people have consumed it for its psychoactive compound, muscimol.
Humans aren’t the only ones drawn to these fungi. Reindeer consider Fly Agaric mushrooms a crucial part of their diet and seem to enjoy their effects. After consuming the mushrooms, reindeer exhibit erratic behavior, make unusual sounds, and appear to be in a euphoric state. Importantly, the mushrooms don’t poison the reindeer.
This is also significant for shamans who wish to use the mushrooms in rituals without risking death. When reindeer eat Fly Agaric, they metabolize the toxins but excrete the hallucinogenic compounds in their urine. For a safer experience, shamans can consume the reindeer’s urine, which retains the psychoactive properties without the harmful effects.
1. Locoweed
Locoweed, often referred to as Crazy Weed, is a plant known for inducing unusual behavior in animals. It encompasses a group of plants that produce similar effects, collectively called Locoism. Animals affected by Locoism exhibit aimless wandering, extreme lethargy, and excessive drooling. While these symptoms seem unpleasant, horses find the experience strangely addictive, developing a strong craving for the plant.
Horses are initially drawn to Locoweed due to its high nutritional value. However, once they consume it, they become hooked. Just two weeks of eating Locoweed can lead to depression, while prolonged consumption causes more severe physical issues, including weight loss, mobility problems, and a lack of coordination.
Horses aren’t the only animals vulnerable to Locoweed’s effects. Sheep and cattle are also at risk. To combat this, farmers in the United States are being trained to prevent their livestock from falling victim to Locoism.
