Alcohol consumption abundant in the natural world, study finds

Male fruit flies turn to alcohol when they are rejected as a mate, while females of a closely-related species become less picky about their mates after imbibing. Photograph: Surapol Usanakul/Alamy

Humans may have turned drinking into something of an art form but when it comes to animals putting alcohol away, Homo sapiens are not such an outlier, researchers say.

A review of published evidence shows that alcohol occurs naturally in nearly every ecosystem on Earth, making it likely that most animals that feast on sugary fruits and nectar regularly imbibe the intoxicating substance.