Humans are not the only living beings who consume alcohol. It is even a rather common practice in the animal kingdom. Indeed, several species naturally consume alcohol in low doses.
This is particularly the case for oriental hornets (Vespa orientalis) which feed on insects, carrion, nectar and ripe fruits. With the fermentation of sugars, nectar and ripe fruits naturally produce ethanol.
Most animals do not tolerate ethanol concentrations above 4%.
Researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel therefore wanted to analyze the ethanol consumption of oriental hornets as well as their tolerance to this psychoactive substance. Their study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).
You should already know that many animal species, even those adapted to consuming ethanol, cannot tolerate too high a concentration of this substance. Generally speaking, an ethanol concentration above 4% can lead to a deterioration in the animal's condition. Negative effects on the health, even the death of the animal, can then be observed.
Oriental hornets demonstrate a tolerance far greater than that of any other animal and humans. Researchers have confirmed that these predatory insects can withstand ethanol concentrations of up to 80%. No changes were observed in their health and behavior.
Oriental hornets can consume an impressive amount of alcohol
The researchers also administered ethanol to the oriental hornets every day for a week. The same result was observed. All the hornets in the study were male individuals captured in the vicinity of Tel Aviv University.
The insects were placed in boxes with water and a sugar solution containing varying degrees of ethanol. This varied between 0% and 80% depending on the boxes. The researchers then closely monitored the hornets' behavior.
In particular, they wanted to know if the hornets used materials like earth and paper for construction. Hornet mortality was also noted. The researchers were surprised to find that no differences were seen in the hornets whether or not they consumed ethanol on a daily basis.
Alcohol had no side effects on insect behavior or mortality. “At first we experimented with only 20% [d’éthanol] and we were already amazed,” confirms Eran Levin, the author of the study. With 80% ethanol, the lack of side effects in the hornets was “even harder to believe.”
How can we explain such a high tolerance to alcohol?
So how do oriental hornets tolerate alcohol so well without side effects? The secret lies in their genetics. “This remarkable ethanol tolerance results from their high rate of ethanol metabolism, most likely made possible by their multiple copies of the alcohol dehydrogenase gene,” the researchers explain.
Alcohol dehydrogenase is the first enzyme produced when ingesting alcohol to help the body eliminate toxins. It breaks down ethanol in the liver. Oriental hornets are therefore able to very quickly eliminate the toxins they ingest with alcohol, thus blocking possible side effects.
Source: IFLScience
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